- Yankton School District

Transcription

YANKTON
November 2013
The official Quarterly Newsletter of the Yankton Public School District. Information provided by the Yankton School District.
33333͛
2–Yankton School News, November, 2013
Kindle’s Korner
By Dr. Wayne Kindle
Welcome!
Welcome to the 2013-14 school year. At
the time of this printed newsletter, the
Yankton School District will be closing in the
on first semester of school being completed. We are off to a very good start in
our buildings, as we welcomed 2666 students to the Yankton School District.
The community of Yankton believes in a
strong commitment to education, which is evident in the programs
and opportunities available to our students. The Yankton School
District has a reputation for excellence in Academics, Career and
Technical Education, Fine Arts and Extracurricular programing. Our
focus on the whole child means students are educated to become
successful, productive citizens who are critical thinkers and who
exhibit strong character.
Students learn best when educators develop meaningful partnerships with parents and the community. We encourage and value
your input as parents and patrons of the Yankton School District.
We believe in working together for the benefit of our children, families and community.
We will continue to reach out to our business community and
partner with them to ensure we have a strong and viable educational system, which encourages graduates to return to Yankton
and grow our community. Economic development and education go
hand in hand. A skilled and educated workforce compliments the
ever growing needs facing many of our current businesses.
Design Build Project
In 2009, a building by building walk through was conducted and
a comprehensive analysis was completed identifying major
mechanical and environmental needs in our school facilities. A preliminary list of delayed capital improvements totaling nearly $5.5
million was identified addressing aging HVAC equipment, environmental concerns and various life-safety issues.
At the October 14, 2013 School Board meeting, Johnson
Controls presented specific information about the Design Build
Project and prioritized current needs from the original $5.5 million
of capital improvements. The cost of the proposed work is approximately $2.8 million dollars, with no action taken.
On October 29, a public meeting was held at the Yankton High
School Theater to discuss and take input regarding the Design
Build Project.
At the November 12 School Board Meeting, the school board
approved the scope of the project at $2,872,667. The board also
authorized a loan application for a $1,000,000 no interest loan
payable over a 5 year period. The entire cost of the Design Build
Project will be paid using Capital Outlay with no additional increase
in taxes.
RESOLUTION OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF
YANKTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 63-3 TO
AUTHORIZE BUSINESS MANAGER TO
ENTER INTO DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACT
WITH JOHNSON CONTROLS
On this the 12th day of November, 2013, the School Board of the
Yankton School District 63-3 of Yankton, South Dakota (hereinafter
referred to as “the District”), during its regularly scheduled meeting, issued the following resolution:
WHEREAS the District has utilized the design-build procedures to
solicit proposals to provide comprehensive design-build service for
the removal of asbestos and construction of the following energy
improvements: (1) Lighting and electrical systems upgrades at all
locations; (2) Gym air handling equipment upgrades at the four elementary buildings and Middle School; (3) HVAC upgrades in the
south wing, computer labs, guidance office suite, breezeway, and
split system units at Middle School; (4) Improvements to the
domestic hot water system for YHS/SAC; (5) increased capacities
for the cooling tower heat exchanger at YHS/SAC; and (6) system
wide energy conservation measures; and
WHEREAS the Board finds that it is in the best interest of the
public to enter into a design-build contract for the above improvements because the complexity of the project requires close coordination of design and construction expertise and an extreme
amount of coordination; and
WHEREAS pursuant to the design-build procedures Johnson
Controls, Inc. was the only firm prequalified to submit a design-build
proposal and did in fact submit a design-build proposal; and
WHEREAS Chuck Turner, the Performance Criteria Developer for
the project has reviewed the proposal submitted by Johnson
Controls, Inc. and has issued a written opinion in accordance with
SDCL 5-18-B-35 that the proposal is consistent with the performance criteria; and
WHEREAS, the Board has determined that there was adequate
competition for the design build project given that: (1) the RFP was
published on January 18, 2013 and January 25, 2013 in the
Yankton Press and Dakotan Newspaper in accordance with SDCL 518A-4 and was also available on the District website during that
time; (2) the RFQ was sent directly to two firms that requested the
materials; (3) District staff fielded at least one additional telephone
call requesting information; and (4) the District was not required to
prequalify three design-builders because the project is complex in
nature, requires close coordination of design and construction
expertise, and does not require significant structural changes, additions, reconstruction, or new construction;
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED that the business manager shall be
authorized to finalize and execute a contract for design/build services with Johnson Controls, Inc. for the improvements listed in the
base proposal plus the following additional improvements:
FIM MS-6A (2nd floor asbestos)
FIM BE-5 (Meal prep vent.)
FIM LE-4 (Meal prep vent.)
FIM SE-4 (Meal prep vent.)
FIM WE-5 (Meal prep vent.)
FIM HS-6 (A/C Auxiliary Gym)
FIM HS-7 (A/C Gymnastics)
FIM MS-9 (A/C North Gym)
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
x_____ Yes
_____ No
_____ No
_____ No
_____ No
_____ No
_____ No
_____ No
_____ No
($ 137,451)
($ 16,643)
($ 17,522)
($15,953)
($17,514)
($155,858)
($65,763)
($140,193)
meet the needs of our students and teachers in the next 3-5 years.
Jerome Klimisch principal at Stewart Elementary School and Todd
Dvoracek principal at Yankton Middle School were our co-chairs for
the YSD Technology Committee held on October 16 at the YHS
Library. We had 43 participants, which included parents, staff,
administration, board members, and students. Additional meetings
will be planned for this committee. The ultimate goal is to formulate
a 3-5 year Technology Plan for the YSD and have this presented to
the school board sometime this school year.
Strategic Planning
On October 23, the YSD held a Strategic Planning Meeting.
Nearly 100 people attended the session representing parent, community members, patrons, teachers, and administrators. Results
the YSD online survey were discussed including written comments
from the survey. Over 800 people participated in the online survey.
An additional exercise was done which asked the various workgroups to identify the role each group would play and contributions
the participants could make in helping the YSD to achieve its’ mission.
A follow-up session was held on November 13 at the YHS
Theater/Commons. Strengths, Challenges, and Improvements were
discussed and specifically identified from the written comments during first session. The participants of the second session narrowed
down these areas into areas of priority. Input and discussion was
also taken involving goal statements and vision statements.
The YSD will now take the input and information from the survey
and the two community sessions to formulate a 2-5 year Strategic
Plan. This plan will be developed through-out the remainder of the
current school year and presented to the school board for consideration at a later date.
The results of the survey are shown below and the comments to
survey questions can be found at www.ysd.k12.sd.us/survey.
for a total contract price not to exceed $2,872,667.
Additional information can be viewed on the YSD website titled
Design Build Project www.ysd.k12.sd.us/designbuildproject
Chrome Books
The South Dakota Department of Education is requiring state
testing of students to be done on-line beginning in the spring of
2014. Yankton School District Administrators met this past summer and revamped the Technology purchases planned for the 201314 school year. The changes made resulted in purchasing Chrome
Books rather than portable lap-top units, which were originally budgeted. The cost difference between the two budgeted items will
allow the school district to purchase nearly twice as many Chrome
Books than the portable laptop units.
The Yankton School District purchased nearly 400 Chrome Books,
which have been distributed at every school building throughout the
school district PK-12. The Chrome Books are being for a variety of
instructional purposes and will be a primary tool used in the state
on-line testing during the spring of 2014.
A Chrome Book presentation at the November 12 School Board
Meeting was done by Faydra Christensen who teaches 4th grade at
Webster Elementary School and Sheryl Rehurek who teaches 4th
grade at Lincoln Elementary School.
Technology Committee
A Yankton School District Technology Committee was formed to
take a look at our short-term needs in the next 3-5 years.
Technology is a moving target and changes often. We want to make
sure we make good use of budgeted money for technology and
Korner continued on page 3
Yankton School News, November 2013–3
Korner
continued from page 2
YANKTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
CALENDAR
2013-2014
November 27
November 28-29
December 20
December 24-January 1
January 2
January 3
January 6
January 31
February 17
March 6
March 7
April 17
April 18-21
May 14
May 16
Presentations
As Superintendent, I would be happy to visit with you personally
or speak to your group/organization. I am also willing to host your
group at our Administration Building or one of our school buildings.
I would also come to your facility or meeting place.
Since taking my new position as Superintendent, I have spoken to
several groups through-our community and have hosted groups at
our Administration Building. Please feel free to contact me at 6653998 to arrange a time to visit.
The Mission Statement of the Yankton School District is to optimize student potential for success in a global society. I welcome
you to be part of the change and vision for our students. We need
our entire community to become an engaged and welcomed partner
of the Yankton School District.
Thank you for the trust and confidence you have placed in me to
lead the Yankton School District. You are welcome to contact me at
any time to visit.
Let’s continue to have a great year!
Henry Ford stated, “Coming together is a beginning. Staying
together is a process. Working together is a success.”
On The Cover: Brooke Anderson, 5th grader at Beadle School, shows off her “Model Backbone”. The project is
called “Build a Model Backbone”. Students brainstorm the characteristics of a backbone (strength and
flexibility), and the parts (vertebrae, discs, and the spinal cord). Students then make two different backbones;
one using a chenille stick and wagon-wheel pasta which is stiff and not flexible; the second backbone uses
gummy candies in between the wagon-wheel pasta. The gummies represent the discs in our back which allow
much more flexibility but the backbone is still firm. Students learn that a real backbone enables the body to
bend and twist just like their pasta/gummy/chenille stick backbone model! Extra gummy candies are on hand
so the kids are able to have a treat and not eat their model!
May 18
May 19 & 20
May 26
Conferences Comp. Day*
Thanksgiving Vacation*
End of Second Quarter
Christmas Vacation*
Teacher Workday
Teacher Inservice*
School Resumes
Teacher Inservice*
President’s Day*
End of Third Quarter
Teacher Workday*
Conferences Comp. Day*
Easter Vacation*
Baccalaureate
Last Day of School
(Tentative)
Graduation
Teacher Workdays
Memorial Day
*Designates no school for students.
Parents of Children in Title 1 Schools
May Request Information
Title I, Part A, Section 1111 (h) (b) requires that at the beginning of each
school year, any district that receives Title 1 funds must notify the
parents of each student attending a Title school that the parents may
request information regarding the professional qualifications of the
students’ classroom teachers. Title 1 schools in Yankton are Beadle,
Lincoln, Stewart and Webster Elementary Schools. The district will
provide a response to parent requests for such information in a timely
manner.
Yankton School District Enrollment Figures
As of October 31, 2013
The numbers on the graph reflect all students that we serve on a
daily basis at school, including ALC students. Each student is counted
once. Sacred Heart School students, home school students and duallyenrolled students are not included in these numbers.
Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment:
Includes 24 Pre-Kindergarten (Age 3-5) students.
(The Pre-Kindergarten [Age 3-5] number reflects all Preschool and
Transition 1 students who do not attend Kindergarten in any
attendance center.
District-wide Pre-Kindergarten/Speech Only students are included as
well.)
Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten enrollment is not included in total
enrollment figures.
School/Grade Jr. K.
Beadle
Lincoln
Stewart
Webster
49
Middle School
High School
Total
49
Kdg.
62
59
45
26
1st
64
66
50
24
2nd 3rd
59
74
62
70
45
48
26
21
192
204 192
213
4th
65
65
50
21
5th
47
48
47
22
6th
7th
8th 9th 10th 11th 12th Total
371
370
(Plus 25 Pre-Kindergarten Students)
285
189
(Plus 90 Preschool Students)
567
196 195 176
225 230 229 200 884
201 164 196 195 176 225 230 229 200 2666
4–Yankton School News, November 2013
School District Administrators
Front: Carey Mitzel, Jennifer Johnke, Melanie Ryken
Back: Ryan Mors, Todd Dvoracek, Paul Struck, Jason Bietz, Jerome
Klimisch, Wayne Kindle, Kathy Wagner, Barbara White, Tony Beste
School Board Members 2013-2014
Jim Fitzgerald, President
Kathy Greeneway, Vice President
Jay Williams
Matt Pietz
Sarah Carda
Elected
2013
2012
2011
2012
2013
Term Expires
2016
2015
2014
2015
2016
Yankton School District
Administrator Directory
YSD Administration Building
Dr. Wayne Kindle, Superintendent................................665-3998......wkindle@ysd.k12.sd.us
Kathleen Wagner, Director Student Services.............665-3999......kwagner@ysd.k12.sd.us
Jason Bietz, Business Manager....................................665-3980......jbietz@ysd.k12.sd.us
Charles Turner, Supervisor Buildings/Grounds.........665-3980......cturner@ysd.k12.sd.us
Tony Anderson, Supervisor Buses & Mechanics......665-3980......tanderson@ysd.k12.sd.us
Yankton High School
Dr. Jennifer Johnke, Principal.........................................665-2073......jjohnke@ysd.k12.sd.us
Ryan Mors, Asst. Principal, Activities Director...........665-8369......rmors@ysd.k12.sd.us
Barbara White, Assistant Principal...............................665-2209......bwhite@ysd.k12.sd.us
Sandi Kramer, Food Services Supervisor....................665-8379......skramer@ysd.k12.sd.us
Yankton Middle School
Todd Dvoracek, Principal..................................................665-2419......tdvoracek@ysd.k12.sd.us
Tony Beste, Assistant Principal......................................665-2419......tdbeste@ysd.k12.sd.us
Beadle Elementary School
Carey Mitzel, Principal......................................................665-2282......cmitzel@ysd.k12.sd.us
Lincoln Elementary School
Paul Struck, Principal........................................................665-7392......pstruck@ysd.k12.sd.us
School District Members
Left to right, Jay Williams, Matt Pietz, Jim Fitzgerald,
Kathy Greeneway, Sarah Carda
School Board Committees 2013-2014
Personnel Committee
Jim Fitzgerald & Kathy Greeneway
Finance Committee
Sarah Carda
Buildings and Grounds Committee
Jay Williams & Matt Pietz
MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission Statement of the Yankton School District is to
optimize student potential for success in a global society.
BELIEF STATEMENTS
1. Education is a partnership among the community, parents, students and school
personnel; high standards are essential for this partnership to be successful.
2. The school system provides a safe educational environment, which encourages
physical, emotional, and academic growth in a culturally diverse society.
3. Learning is enhanced by a positive and supportive atmosphere, which encourages
creativity, builds self-esteem, and recognizes students’ success.
4. Learning requires recognition of each student’s instructional style and the use of
effective methods, which make learning interesting and individualized.
5. Ethical values, including an appreciation of diversity, integrity, compassion
courage, commitment, and responsibility, are integral to the learning process.
6. With proper guidance, students are capable of making informed choices and are
responsible for their actions.
7. Education must support life-long learning by teaching students to access and
apply information for success in a global society.
Stewart Elementary School
Jerome Klimisch, Principal..............................................665-5765......jklimisch@ysd.k12.sd.us
Webster Elementary School
Melanie Ryken, Principal ................................................665-2484......mryken@ysd.k12.sd.us
Adopted by the Yankton School Board on June 14, 1993, Action #93-347
Amended June 12, 1999, Action #2000-123
Amended February 9, 2004, Action #2004-173
Report To Patrons: Yankton School District Annual Report Card
By Kathy Wagner, Director of Student Services
The spring 2013 Dakota STEP test results mark the beginning of South Dakota’s new accountability
system using the School Performance Index (SPI). This new system of accountability emphasizes
continuous improvement, setting the bar high for ongoing reflection and goal setting. The School
Performance Index (SPI) scores center on a 100-point index consisting of five key indicators of
performance. The chart below identifies the indicators that are expected to be fully implemented in
the new accountability system for the 2015-2016 school year. The 2013 SPI scores were derived
from only the bolded indicators below.
Lincoln School received a total School Performance Index (SPI) score of 82.27 out of possible 100.00
points and received a classification of “Progressing”.
Stewart School received a total School Performance Index (SPI) score of 86.51 out of possible 100.00
Another new change for the State of South Dakota is how Student Achievement will be classified. In
order to get an unduplicated count of students, and hold more schools accountable. Student results
will now be divided into two subgroups:
* Gap Group – includes the subgroups of Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska
Webster School received a total School Performance Index (SPI) score of 74.93 out of possible
Native, Hispanic/Latino, Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities, and Limited English
100.00 points and received a classification of “Progressing”.
Proficient students. (This group consists of those students in subgroups that have historically
experienced achievement gaps. The Gap Group will be reassessed every 6 years to determine the
composition of the Gap Group.)
* Non-Gap Group – includes students in the remaining subgroups: White/Caucasian; Asian; Native
Hawaiian-Pacific Islander; and students of 2 or more races
As a district, the Yankton School District received the following SPI Scores:
CLASSIFICATION, RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT
School Performance Index scores will be calculated annually, and schools will be ranked based on these
The following data represents how each school scored using the new South Dakota Accountability scores. This ranking will be used to classify schools into the following categories:
System:
Yankton High School received a total School Performance Index (SPI) score of 84.69 out of possible Exemplary Schools
High Performing – SPI score at/above top 5%
High Progress – Certain Gap Group indicators
High district autonomy – low state engagement
Status Schools
SPI score at/above top 10%
High district autonomy – low state engagement
Progressing Schools
Yankton Middle School received a total School Performance Index (SPI) score of 81.98 out of possible SPI score between bottom 5% and top 10%
State engagement as needed
Priority Schools
SPI score at/below bottom 5%
Dramatic interventions – very high state engagement for Title I Priority Schools
Focus Schools (Title I only)
Schools contributing to achievement gap
Measured by certain Gap Group indicators
Approved interventions – high state engagement
Beadle School received a total School Performance Index (SPI) score of 82.98 out of possible 100.00
If you have questions or want additional information, please contact the following staff:
Name
Kathy Wagner
Carey Mitzel
Paul Struck
Jerome Klimisch
Melanie Ryken
Todd Dvoracek
Dr. Jennifer Johnke
Position
Director of Student Services
Beadle School Principal
Lincoln School Principal
Stewart School Principal
Webster School Principal
Middle School Principal
High School Principal
Phone
665-3999
665-2282
665-7392
665-5765
665-2484
665-2419
665-2073
E-Mail
kwagner@ysd.k12.sd.us
cmitzel@ysd.k12.sd.us
pstruck@ysd.k12.sd.us
jklimisch@ysd.k12.sd.us
mryken@ysd.k12.sd.us
tdvoracek@ysd.k12.sd.us
jjohnke@ysd.k12.sd.us
Federal Programs
Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in
1962 marking the beginning of federal funds for all K-12 public
schools. As each president takes office, amendments to that law
reflect the focus of the administration on education funding. Those
changes are reflected in 10 differrent “Titles” of the law. For the
2013-2014 school year, the district is eligible to participate in the
following federal programs:
1.
2. To lower the student/teacher ratio and increase
student achievement at the first grade level.
Yankton Schools employs 2 half-time first grade
teacher at Webster and Stewart Schools, 2 full-time
teachers at Beadle to decrease class sizes in
kindergarten and third grade. These positions are
in addition to the teachers funded through the
general fund school district budget.
Title I, Improving The Academic Achievement
Of The Disadvantaged
c.
a. Allocation: $377,800
b. Purpose: Title 1 remains the largest federal aid
program for the nation’s schools.The purpose of
Title 1 is to enable schools to provide opportunities
for children served to acquire the knowledge and
skills contained in the challenging state content
standards and to meet the challenging state
performance standards developed for all children.
3.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act –
Part B – Section 619
b. Purpose: To provide funds which may only be used
for the excess cost of providing special education
and related services which are directly attributed
the education of students with disabilities.
c.
4.
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
31%
32%
39%
35%
35%
33%
39%
41%
35%
43%
43%
44%
35%
34%
40%
37%
46%
42%
40%
38%
30%
31%
34%
32%
24%
24%
41%
27%
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Section 619
b. Purpose: To provide special education and related
services to preschoolers ages 3 through 5 with
disabilities. Funds may be used in the areas of
child identification, evaluation, individual education
plans, implementation of programs, confidentiality,
due process procedures, and parent involvement.
Yankton School District applies these funds to
the Developmental Preschool Program.
c.
c.
2.
Yankton School District students attending
Sacred Heart School participate in the public
school program up to a maximum dollar value.
Title II, Part A, Teacher & Principal Training and Recruiting
(includes Class Size Reduction Funds)
Eligible Yankton School District students attending
Sacred Heaert School may participate in this program
on-site at a public school up to a maximum dollar value.
Only those attendance centers where the poverty rate
meets or exceeds the district-wide percentage
may potentially receive Title 1 programs.
This school year we will continue the Title 1 Reading
Recovery Program®in first grade and the Title 1
program in second grade at Webster, Lincoln,
Stewart and Beadle Schools. Reading Recovery is
funded with Title 1 funds.
A portion of the staff development funds allocation
is expended on behalf of Yankton School District
students attending Sacred Heart School.
The district’s allocation is first determined by the
poverty rate in Yankton County. In turn, the
district calculates the district-wide poverty rate,
and the poverty rate for each attendance center.
Those rates for the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11
and 2011-12 school years are as follows:
2008-09
District Poverty Rate 31%
Beadle School
32%
Lincoln School
36%
Stewart School
32%
Webster School
40%
Yankton Middle School 31%
Yankton High School 27%
By Kathy Wagner, Director of Student Services
5.
Eligible Yankton School District students attending
Sacred Heart School may participate in this
program on-site at a public school up to a
maximum dollar value.
Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology
Education Act Amendments of 1990
b. Purpose: To provide funds for academically disadvantaged persons (other than disabled individuals) who
require special services and assistance in order to
enable them to succeed in vocational education programs.
Funds are used to purchase equipment for building
trades, automotives, family and consumer science,
and marketing classes as well as modules
for applied technology.
b. Purpose:
1. To provide assistance to improve the teaching and
learning of all students by helping to ensure that
educators have access to sustained and intensive
high quality professional development in the core
academic subjects. The core academic areas of
focus are mathematics and language arts. Yankton
School District pays for selected teachers who teach
in core subject areas to attend conferences,
institutes, and conventions on topics related to the
teaching of student performance standards and
content standards.
c.
There is no private school participation provision.
While these programs are the major sources of federal revenue for
instructional programs, the district does, from time to time, apply for
and receive other federal or state grants. We may also choose to
participate in programs operated wholly or in part by other agencies
when student benefit can clearly be established.
Annual Public Notification of Nondiscrimination
Yankton School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission to its programs, services,
or activities, in access to them, in treatment of individuals, or in any aspect
of their operations. Yankton School District Career and Technical Education
department does not discriminate in enrollment or access to any of the
programs available. The District’s CTE programs include the following career
pathways: Family and Consumer Science, Technology Education, Business
and Industrial Technology. The lack of English language skills shall not be a
barrier to admission or participation in the district’s activities and programs.
The Yankton School District also does not discriminate in its hiring or
employment practices.
This notice is provided as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Questions, complaints, or
requests for additional information regarding these laws may be forwarded
to Kathleen Wagner, Director of Student Services, 2410 West City Limits
Road, Yankton, SD 57078; telephone number: (605)665-3999, who has
been designated by the Yankton School District School Board to coordinate
the District’s efforts to comply with the regulations implementing these
sections, or the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, One
Petticoat Lane, 1010 Walnut Street, 3rd Floor, Ste 320 Kansas City, Missouri
64106, telephone number: (816) 268-0550; TDD number: (800) 877-8339;
E-mail: OCR.KansasCity@ed.gov; or fax number: (816) 286-0599.
Inclement Weather
and Emergencies
All decisions regarding school closing
or early dismissal will be based upon the
personal safety of students and employees. The
superintendent, or designee, shall be responsible for dismissing school.
All inclement weather announcements concerning school
closings, late starts, or early dismissals will be made
through the following media:
WNAX
570 A.M.
KYNT
1450 A.M.
KVHT
106.3 F.M.
KELO TV
Channel 11
An attempt will be made to announce school closings by 6:30 a.m.
through the previously noted media and through our Connect 5
messaging system, our Facebook page and our website.
Parents or guardians have the ultimate authority in making the
decision of sending their student(s) to school or keeping them home
during adverse weather conditions. If a student is kept at home due to
adverse weather conditions, a telephone call to the school principal
will allow an excused absence for the missed day of school.
If weather conditions deteriorate during the school day, it may
become necessary to dismiss school early. An early dismissal time
will be announced through the previously noted media and through our
Connect 5 messaging system, our Facebook page and our website as
soon as the decision has been determined. Parents should be aware
of deteriorating weather conditions and listen to the media for early
dismissal on days when poor weather conditions are predicted.
It is expected that each student will be met at the rural bus stop or
be able to enter the home when delivered by the bus. Please do not
lock your student out of the house on these days. Develop a plan for
inclement weather conditions and early dismissal. Parents of bus
students who desire to pick up their student(s) on days of early
dismissal should do so at the school building and not at the bus
exchange area.
Parents with special instructions concerning their student(s) on
days of early dismissal should state the specific instruction, in writing,
to their student’s teacher. Non-bus students will not be dismissed
from the classroom until the teacher has determined the student’s
destination.
Activities
By Ryan Mors, Activities Director/Assistant High School Principal
In the Yankton School District,
where we have a tradition of
excellence both in academics
and activities, we are focused
on providing each student with
the best education
possible so that they
may
achieve
their
personal best. It is our
belief that teaching and
learning do not end at the
conclusion of the regular
school day. Students need
activities not only because they are
educationally sound, but in many
cases to fill idle time. It is
well
documented
that
students who participate in
activities have higher grade
point averages, better class
attendance, and fewer discipline
problems. Many life-lessons can
be learned through being a contributing member of a
team. Dedication, work ethic, teamwork and
sportsmanship are all great examples! The Yankton School
District offers a number of activities for students in grades 612 in both fine arts and athletics.
Fall Activities began with Marching Band, Color Guard,
Competitive Cheer, Competitive Dance, Girls Tennis, Boys
Golf, Football, Volleyball and Boys and Girls Cross Country.
Production of the Fall Play began shortly after the first day of
school. Many students are involved in High School Chorus,
Orchestra and Concert band. These students take one or
more of these fine arts classes during the regular school day
but are also very involved outside of regular school hours
with concerts, pep band, singing the national anthem at
activities and participating in regional music contests. Those
that are selected, also get the opportunity to participate in All
State Band, Chorus and Orchestra.
YSD Fall 2013 Activity participation numbers are listed below:
Football:
12th/11th – 36
10th – 30
9th – 28
8th – 52
7th – 49
Volleyball:
12th/11th – 10
10th – 10
9th – 14
8th – 43
7th – 42
Cross Country:
High School – 46
Middle School – 22
Boys Golf:
22
Girls Tennis:
13
Competitive Cheer:
21
Competitive Dance:
15
High School Chorus:
160
High School Marching Band/Color Guard:
113
High School Orchestra:
26
Middle School Orchestra:
50
Middle School Marching Band:
93
6th Grade Band:
74
6th Grade Girls Basketball:
40
With the addition of Harrisburg to class AA athletics and the
ESD Conference this year, Yankton will now play a 20 game
schedule in volleyball, boys basketball and girls basketball.
Harrisburg’s addition increases the ESD membership from
eight schools to nine. The nine ESD schools are Aberdeen
Central, Brandon Valley, Brookings, Harrisburg, Huron,
Mitchell, Pierre, Watertown and Yankton. Yankton will play
each ESD school home and away, which accounts for 16
games and then 4 non-conference games which will be
played against the four Sioux Falls schools since they are in
our Region. The volleyball and basketball post season will
also bring about a change for Yankton. Harrisburg has been
added to our district, District 2AA, which means there are
now five teams in the district instead of four. The 4th & 5th
seeds in our district will now play each other in a “District
Play-in Game” which means the winner of that game
becomes the 4th seed in the district tournament and the
loser is eliminated.
In football, with the addition of Class AAA this year, AA and
AAA football teams saw their number of regular season
games reduced from nine down to eight. Yankton is still a
member of class 11AA for football. Every AA and AAA
football team had one bye week this fall. This meant that
Yankton did not see every ESD opponent as we have been
accustomed to doing in the past. Therefore this season
Yankton did not play Brookings or Huron and will not play
them again in a regular season football game until the fall of
2015. In 2015, two other ESD opponents will be rotated out
of our schedule while Brookings and Huron would return.
Due to projected enrollment changes at many of the schools
in the new AA and AAA football classifications, this new
format too may change with time. The 11AA football post
season is now made up of the top eight out of ten schools,
meaning two playoff victories earns a school a trip to the
Dakota Dome for the state 11AA championship.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the
activities office, 665-8369.
www.ysd.k12.sd.us
Follow us on twitter
@ysd633 and our
Facebook page
for the latest
announcement and
calendar events.
Beadle School News
Beadle Elementary welcomed families to the 2013-2014 school
year with an open house, book fair, kindergarten orientation activities and a Boo-Hoo breakfast for our kindergarten parents. Beadle
has approximately 380 students enrolled this year and about 45
staff members that are working with these students in different
capacities. A couple of highlights from our test scores last spring
are a 97.56 % attendance rate, and over 80% of students testing
advanced and/or proficient
in both reading and math.
The 2013 Beadle School
Report Card reflects South
Dakota’s new accountability system. The system is
based on a 100-point
scale
or
School
Performance Index (SPI).
The SPI consists of multiple indicators to measure
a school’s performance.
Beadle students scored
31.98/40 in Reading,
32.15/40 in Math, and
19.44/20 in attendance
for a total SPI of 82.98/
100.
This year students in
Grades 3-5 will be taking
online tests over the
Common Core Standards
using laptop computers,
Chrome Books and the
Computer Lab. The tests
now
called
Smarter
Balanced Assessments.
Homecoming
Homecoming Week is a
special time for towns,
schools
and
alumni.
Students and classrooms
demonstrated school spirit
in a variety of ways.
Classroom
activities
included pep rallies, learning the school song, tie
dying shirts, and walking in
the parade to name a few.
Grandparents’ Day – Mrs. Stevens
Beadle First Graders invited their grandparents and adopted
grandparents to school on Monday, September 9, for the annual
Grandparents’ Day Celebration in First
Grade. The special guests had an
opportunity to learn more about what a
day in first grade looks and feels like.
The students sang songs, colored welcome badges, read books, and showed
their grandparents the different textbooks they use and study in first grade.
Grandparents are often the ones who
listen to their grandchildren
read, guide them through their
homework, act as chauffeurs,
and provide moral support to
the family. We are grateful for
their support and would like to
invite them to come for a visit
again. Our First Graders love
to have special lunch guests!
By Carey Mitzel, Principal
Daily Five Reading – Mrs. Weydert
You may have heard your child talk about the “Daily 5” and wondered what he or she was talking about. The Daily Five is a way of
structuring the reading and writing block so that every student is
independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These researchbased tasks are ones that will have the biggest impact on student
reading and writing achievement, as well as help to foster the joy of
reading and writing. Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write
independently while the teacher provides focused, intense instruction to individuals or small groups of students.
Students are engaged in the different components of the Daily 5:
Read to Self, Read to Someone Else, Listen to Reading, Word Work,
and Work on Writing. There are very specific behavior expectations
that go with each component. Students spend their first weeks
working intensely on building reading and writing stamina, learning
the behaviors of the Daily 5, and becoming a community of learners.
Each teacher spends their time learning about your child’s strengths
and weaknesses as a reader in
order to plan for each student’s
instruction.
One thing you’ll notice is a
decrease in the number of worksheets your child brings home.
While worksheets keep students
busy, they don’t really result in the
highest levels reading and writing.
Instead, your child will be taught to
choose “Good Fit Books” meaning:
books they can read, understand,
and are interested in, which they will
read during Daily 5. They will be
spending most of their reading time
actually reading, which research
supports as the #1 way to improve
reading! If you have questions,
please consult your child’s teacher.
Study Buddies
Many classrooms at Beadle periodically work on Study Buddy activities.
Different classrooms have different
goals related to Study buddy activities.
Goals vary depending on the classrooms and grade levels.
Benefits
include social skill/character development, community building, parental
involvement, reading development by
pairing younger readers with more experienced readers, and having
fun! Study Buddy activities differ depending on the classroom but some examples are:
tie dying shirts during homecoming week, making caramel
apples to correspond to the
fall unit, partner reading and
constructing
gingerbread
houses.
By pairing younger readers
with more experienced readers
student can develop skills in
decoding, fluency, expression,
and comprehension skills.
Using Study Buddies to supplement reading instruction is an
exciting, fun way to reach
those standards.
Science Education
Early experiences in science foster
student’s ability to develop problemsolving skills that help them to be
prepared to participate in an increasingly
scientific and technological world.
Science Education is best presented
through
inquiry
based
methods.
Students are provided with opportunities
to investigate and explore using science
tools and curriculum. Teachers use a
variety of presentation modes that
accommodate different learning styles
and students can interact with their
peers to learn scientific principles. You
may have heard of STEM. This acronym
stands for Science, Technology,
Engineering
and
Math
education. There has been an
increased push for students to
be
involved
with
STEM
education to help them compete
in a global society. At Beadle
Elementary, we realize the need
for
future
scientists,
mathematicians, engineers and
students
who
can
be
technologically advanced. We
hope that the groundwork we
are providing for them in these
areas will help them be
successful as adults.
Fire Prevention Week
Each year in October, the Yankton Volunteer Fire Department
coordinates fire safety visits to classrooms from Kindergarten
through Grade 3 at Beadle. Fire prevention and education are a
focus
in
different
presentations to the
students throughout the
week. The fire safety
trailer teaches children
each year how to crawl
low under smoke and
find an escape. The
firefighters also give
demonstrations
and
bring equipment to the
classrooms
fire
prevention week. Firefighters visit the classrooms in Kindergarten
and First Grade. Second Grade students are able to go through the
Smoke House and the Third Grade students are able to see a fire
engine. Often times, students have parents that are part of the
Yankton Fire Department which makes the presentations even more
enjoyable!
Lincoln School News
A Peaceful Playground
At Lincoln Elementary School, we use many of the Peaceful
Playground principles to help make our playgrounds safe, fair and
fun for all students. Teaching students a consistent set of rules for
games and helping students develop negotiating and communication skills they can use when they have minor conflicts with other
students, is a key part of the program. Rather than having playground supervisors intercede in every playground conflict, students
are taught during their guidance lessons how to handle minor
recess problems themselves. Students are taught that in most
situations, there are three options to resolve conflicts: 1) Walk
away; 2) Invite the student to go to the peace circle to talk until they
reach an agreement; or 3) Use the Rock, Paper, Scissors game.
If a student is invited to go to the peace circle (a painted circle
on the playground), by another student, they have to go. While at
the peace circle, the students are encouraged to talk about what
the conflict was about and use I statements such as “I didn’t like it
when”……..”I felt angry or sad when”…… If an apology is needed,
it is given at that time. Resolution usually comes quickly, because
students want to get back to their games. Having children resolve
their own problems frees supervisors to look after the safety of all
children on the playground.
The students are taught that the peace circle is not to be used if
they are being bullied by another student or if another student
physically hurts them on purpose. Instead, the students are told to
report the behavior immediately to a staff person. Bullying is
another one of our guidance topics. Students are taught the following definition of bullying: Bullying is when someone repeatedly and
on purpose does mean or hurtful things to another person.
BULLYING CAN TAKE MANY FORMS INCLUDING:
•Verbal bullying such as calling names
•Physical bullying such as pushing, hitting, or kicking
•Social bullying such as leaving another person out of a group
•Telling lies and spreading false rumors
•Threatening or forcing another person to do things they
don’t want to do
•Cyber-bullying, using technology to carry the bullying message
via cell phone or the internet
Students are encouraged to immediately report to a teacher,
staff person and/or their parents if they are being bullied or if they
see bullying behavior happen to someone else. There is also a bullying report form students can fill out and place in the bullying
report box. The bullying report will be looked into by Mrs. Hale or
Mr. Struck.
Proper Supervision
The 2013-13 Yankton Elementary School Handbook states on
page 13, “Students should not arrive at school prior to 8:20 a.m.
unless eating breakfast at school.” But many students arrive at
school from 7:50-8:15 a.m. via school buses. Any student who gets
off the bus can immediately go to our cafeteria for breakfast. Not
all students who ride the bus , walk to school, or who are driven to
school choose to eat breakfast at school. For this reason, there are
three supervisors on duty from 8:15 to 8:30 each morning to monitor students in grades K-5. Kindergarten and first grade students
play together on the southeast side of Lincoln School each morning. One class of first grade and three classes of second grade play
on the northeast side of the school each morning. Students in
grades 3-5 walk to the west side of our school and walk our walking
track from 8:15-8:30. Three supervisors on duty from 8:15-8:30 do
not prevent all bumps, bruises, conflicts, or scrapes from occurring,
but it does help our students feel safe before the school bell rings
each morning.
Students in grades K-3 have three recesses each day. Each
recess is supervised by one or two faculty members. Fourth grades
students have three recesses each day except when they have P.E.
class and on those days they benefit from two recesses. Fifth grade
students have two recesses per day, except when they have physical education classes. On days of P.E., they have one 20-minute
recess. Each of their recesses is supervised by one or two faculty
members. Lincoln’s physical education teacher, Chris Hovden
By Paul Struck, Principal
reviews the rules for the games played on the playground during his
first classes of the year. Playground rules and procedures are taught
to all students during the first week of school and are reviewed by
staff members throughout the school year. Many schools throughout
the United States have decreased the number and time that students participate in recess due to increased pressure to prepare
students for standardized tests and to curb bullying and inappropriate behavior during recess. At Lincoln Elementary School we believe
that it is our responsibility to teach our young children how to play
safely and responsibly to ensure that all develop strong bodies and
strong minds.
One hundred fifty-seven students earned a Perfect Attendance
record for the first quarter of the 2013-14 school year.
Members of Lincoln’s PTA and
student council sort items before
delivering them to the Yankton
Contact Center. This was a joint
project as part of “National Make
a Difference Day.”
Lincoln School Winter Sing
The month of December brings with it the wonder of the holiday
season. Lincoln Elementary School will present “A Season of
Celebration” on December 12, 7:00 pm at the YHS Summit Center
Theatre. Grades One, Two, and Three will be featured in the evening
program. The public is invited to enjoy this free concert under the
direction of Dena Den Herder, music educator. Kathleen West will be
the piano accompanist, and Mr. Paul Struck is the Lincoln
Elementary principal. We hope you enjoy hearing some familiar holiday pieces and hope that you hear a new favorite. See you at the
Winter Sing!
Accountability Report Card
South Dakota has a new assessment portal and it is titled South
Dakota STARS. STARS is an acronym for Student Teacher
Accountability and Reporting System. This new system will collect
and store student data for each student who completes the Smarter
Balanced Assessment each school year. The portal will include more
information about each classroom and each student and how they
performed on the yearly assessment. The system will also record
students’ attendance and when it is fully functional it will include
other types of information that teachers and administrators will use
to drive instruction.
The first reports from SD STARS were released to administrators
this fall. Each school received a School Performance Index score
which was calculated by combining the attendance record of that
school and the performance on the math and reading portion of the
standardized test completed last spring by students in grades 3, 4,
and 5. Lincoln School received a School Performance Index score of
82.27. The combined student achievement score for the three
grades was 78.4. The 78.4 signifies that 78.4 % of our third, fourth,
and fifth graders received a score of proficient or advanced on the
spring 2013 standardized test. Ninety-seven percent of our students were in school each day and this percentage aided our School
Performance Index.
As mentioned in the paragraph above, a school’s attendance
record has a great influence on the school’s Performance Index.
Positive school attendance has always been stressed and recognized by the staff of Lincoln School. Students are recognized quarterly, at the end of the first semester, and at the end of the year for
their positive attendance record. We will continue to stress the
importance of regular school attendance and reward students for
positive school attendance because we know that students cannot
reach their full potential when they are absent from school.
Student council members pose for a picture
before delivering the items to the Contact
Center Friday, October 25.
First graders solve a conflict by
playing Rock, Paper, Scissors during
a 4-square game during their
morning recess.
Second graders are using
the Peace Circle to work out
a conflict during their
morning recess.
Students play safely on the
Web Climber during a fall recess.
Fifteen third graders from
Miss Greene’s class earned
perfect attendance for the first
quarter. Their class attained
the best attendance record for
the first quarter of all 18
classrooms at Lincoln School.
These students are practicing
for the Winter Sing to be held
Thursday, December 12.
Lincoln Elementary Student Council
Lincoln’s Student Council has been very busy this fall. We had a
great time representing our school in the Homecoming parade! We
also worked at implementing a “bucket filling” campaign. The student council collected the donations for the Contact Center on
Friday, October 25th, and we cleaned up around our school for These fifty students read at least
“Make a Difference Day”. During Red Ribbon/Character Counts 10 books during the summer of
Week, we were very involved in promoting the theme: “Let Your
2013 as part of the Summer
Character Shine! Be Drug Free!” We placed Red Ribbons inside
Reading Achievers’ program.
and outside of our building, wrote positive messages on the sidewalk with chalk, and made daily announcements. Finally, we provided freeze pops to the kindergarten classes for 25 cents each.
The proceeds will go to the SACK PACK program.
Following proper playground rules and procedures helps
students play safely during recess.
Stewart School News By Jerome Klimisch, Principal
Welcome New Staff!
New Students! Stewart School is off to a
great start! The students returned to school on
Monday, August 19 eager to meet their teachers
and see their old friends. Due to staff retirements
and resignations we have five staff members new
to Stewart School this fall. Melissa Rempfer is the
new Stewart School secretary. Melissa formerly
taught band and music in the Bon Homme district
and worked at First Dakota National Bank. Andrea Wright is
the new school counselor. Andrea is a former Stewart student!
Andrea was a counselor for the Hamlin School District. Cody
Lukkes is the new Early Intervention teacher. Cody has been teaching special education at Yankton Middle School. Gaye Young is a
new
educational
assistant in the
Resource
Room.
Gaye was on staff at
the
Idaho
Art
Charter School last
year. The last new
staff member is
Sam Konstant. Sam
is the new tech support specialist. Sam
New Staff at Stewart: Andrea Wright, Sam Konstant,
just graduated from
Cody Lukkes, Gay Young and Melissa Rempfer.
SDSU
and
has
worked with technology for the Watertown School District in the
past. We are excited to have everyone at Stewart School! The new
staff joins a group of veteran teachers and support staff committed
to making the school year the best it can be.
Miss Card South Dakota PE Teacher of the Year!
Congratulations to
Miss Card on being
selected the South
Dakota Elementary P.E.
Teacher of the Year.
Miss Card received her
award in Brookings on
November 7th.
Miss
Card has taught in the
29 years.
She has
been in instrumental in Congratulations to Lisa Card for being named
starting
Fitness the South Dakota Elementary School Physical
Education Teacher of the Year!
Fanatics, Fitness for
Thanks for all you do!
Life and the Stewart
School Walking Club. Miss Card focuses on healthy fitness activities that kids can do at home and later on in life to stay healthy.
She thinks up creative ways to exercise like integrating technology
into the classroom with Dance, Dance, Revolution mats and working with SDSU on tracking student movement with accelerometers.
Congratulations Miss Card!!!
vidually recognized and treated with a Subway certificate. The student’s names are put into a drawing for neat prizes and their whole
class is eligible for a chocolate milk party if they have the best overall attendance. For the first quarter 123 students had perfect attendance! Two students away from a school record! Attendance patterns are formed early so we are trying to develop good habits that
will carry through their educational years right into the student’s first
job. It’s a fact that students who attend school regularly learn more
and are more successful in school than students who do not.
Parents who make regular attendance a priority are helping their children learn to accept responsibility. That’s an important lesson for a
successful life.
S.M.A.R.T. is a demonstration program
that uses brain stimulation exercises to
help children become ready for school.
Many children arrive at school unprepared for learning; they are lacking the
skills needed in order to learn to read,
such as listening and vocabulary skills,
visual perception, eye-hand coordination,
social interaction patterns, attention to
following directions, pencil-paper skills,
gross and fine motor skills and selfStudent Council
confidence in the face of challenges.
Student council members are actively involved in community serv- The goal of the S.M.A.R.T. program is to
ice projects and helping others. Miss Wright, the student council help children acquire these skills for optiadvisor, will meet with the students regularly to discuss playground mal learning success! Submitted by
safety and other
Cody Lukkes
school
concerns.
The members collected coats for the
annual coat collection and participated
in
the
annual
Homecoming parade.
The teachers and
students appreciate
the student council’s
hard work and time
committed to help
Stewart Student Council members
the school.
gear up for the Homecoming Parade!
The second and
third graders get
back into the groove
on the first day of
school. It’s always
good to meet up
with friends!
A student getting S.M.A.R.T.!
S.M.A.R.T. (Stimulating
Maturity through Accelerated
Readiness Training)- is a
demonstration program that
uses brain stimulation
exercises to help children
become ready for school.
Mrs. Marquardt’s kindergarteners are in
the lunchroom eating their first school
lunch. Many experienced fruits and
vegetables they have never tried before!
The second graders are getting ready
for the Halloween Parade. The kids
enjoy dressing up and some even
create their own costumes.
Good News!
We have extremely good news regarding our DakotaSTEP testing
Stewart students collected boxes of coats and warm weather gear
results from the 2012-2013 school year. Stewart School met all of
for the recent collection. Thanks to all who donated!
the goals set by the State and received a School Performance Index
of 86.51 which is above both the State and district average. The
School Performance Index included an Achievement score of 83.93
and an Attendance score of 96.84. 100% of Stewart teachers
were Highly Qualified with an average of 21 years of teaching experience. Great Job! School report cards can be viewed at http//
www.doe.sd.gov
Mrs. Fleer’s class display a giant birthday cake in celebration of South Dakota’s 125th birthday.
The students work on South Dakota trivia questions presented to the whole school.
Perfect Attendance
Stewart School has a tradition of recognizing students who make
a commitment to come to school every day. At the end of each
quarter an assembly is held at which time the students are indi-
S.M.A.R.T. (Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated
Readiness Training)
123 Stewart students had perfect attendance for the first quarter. The students
received a Subway certificate and recognition at an all school assembly.
Mrs. Jensen’s class won
the pancake breakfast
with Mr. Klimisch. 67% of
the class had perfect
attendance for the first
quarter.
Webster School News
By Melanie Ryken, Principal
DSTEP Award Winners
Once again, we recognized students in 4th-6th grade for their outstanding achievements on their spring Dakota Step Test. This measures the students’ academic capabilities in Reading and Math. We have the students set goals for themselves each year in addition to trying to improve on their scores from the year before. Our students strive
for Proficient, Advanced, or to improve from the previous year. If they achieve one of those three goals, they are awarded an opportunity to shop at the DSTEP store. These
kids are proud of their achievements and definitely have stake in their progress. We had 46 students (some are shown to the right) total who achieved this benchmark and
should feel very proud! As a whole, Webster Elementary teachers, staff, and students should feel very good about their high scores and accomplishments!
Perfect Attendance
Student Council
Our Student Council is up
and running again this fall.
We are proud to announce
the new 3rd-5th grade representatives who are pictured in the picture to the
right: Reid Brown, Kloey
Ballert, Jayci Ellis, Jeoffrey
Miller, Emma Christensen,
and Ella Mulder. These students were nominated by their
peers and are going to be involved in Family Food Night,
Santa’s Workshop, and the talent show!
We celebrated perfect attendance
with an assembly. Sixty-five students were here every day on time,
which is approximately 33% of our
JrK-5th graders.
Research has
shown that good school attendance
(even at a young age) leads to academic success and solid, life-long
traits for future achievements. We
are proud of kids like Thea, Alex, Kincaid, and Grace pictured to the left!
Happy Fall: Pumpkins!
Our preschool-3rd graders were once
again fortunate to have received a free
pumpkin to take home for Halloween.
We are so thankful each year to the
Department of Corrections and local
Sertoma Club. Both entities donate
their time to picking and delivering
pumpkins to our students. I think the
adults delivering have just as much fun
as the kids receiving! We are very
grateful to these groups, as without the donation, some kids
may not have a pumpkin at all!
Red Ribbon Week
Chrome Books
The 4th and 5th graders in the Yankton School District have
been very fortunate this year to have gotten a taste of technology right in their own classrooms. Pictured to the lower
right is Ethan working on a Chrome book in his 4th grade
classroom. A Chromebook is a personal computing system
running Chrome OS as its operating system. These devices
are designed to run on the internet to support applications
on the web versus the traditional applications that are on the
machine itself. Our 4th and
5th graders have been
exploring these machines
and doing many projects on
them already! It is amazing
what our students are learning today!
YSD Foundation
The Yankton School District Foundation continues to amaze us with their continued support for providing the students with worthwhile items, projects, and extras to enhance
our curriculum. This year, we were awarded
yet another grant. The Webster Winners
chose to spend this money in a way that
EVERY child would benefit from. With the continuation of our OLWEUS anti-bullying program, we will be holding an all-school assembly/kick-off in November. Along with that
assembly, we have purchased a t-shirt for
EVERY child at Webster. The remaining
money from the grant will be given to our parent organization, WOW, to put toward our new
playground equip-ment that they are raising
funds for.
Webster Staff!
The Webster staff had a wonderful time taking our
annual back-to-school picture again in August.
Shown to the left are the staff members in our very
own background—Marne Creek. This is just another
way we work together and bond, as it took teamwork to get in and out of the creek! We are very
proud to announce the addition of three new staff
members, also. Please help us welcome Miss
Wright (primary counselor), Miss Thomas (preschooll
paraprofessional.), and Mrs. Wagner (ELL paraprofessional). These ladies have been a wonderful addition to our Webster Winner Team! HOOT! HOOT!
OLWEUS
We are proud to announce the continuation of our successful, anti-bullying program. This is the 2nd year that
the students and staff have been using OLWEUS, which
is the best known anti-bullying program on the market for
schools today. Pictured to the right are Ella (proudly displaying her t-shirt from last year) and Emma
preparing for our school-wide video. The
main function of the program teaches kids
how to become allies vs. bystanders. It also
requires immediate and consistent intervention. In addition, all students and their parents sign a contract at the beginning of the
year agreeing to abide by the anti-bullying
rules.
We have had an overwhelming
amount of support for this incredible program!
The students and staff at Webster celebrated Red
Ribbon Week in mid- October. During Red Ribbon
Week, we learned about the importance of making good choices and staying drug and alcohol
free. In addition, they signed a pledge on a giant
school-wide ribbon vowing to stay drug and
alcohol-free and learning how to stand up for
themselves and others when presented with difficult situations and adolescent decisions. Along
with those life-long decisions, the students had
lessons that reinforced the pillars of Character
Counts. Each day was a different color or theme
for dress-up day, as is shown to the below. Mrs.
Olson (YHS teacher) is with Ashton, a 2nd grader,
and Alex, a 1st grader. The traits we concentrated on were TRUSTWORTHINESS, RESPECT,
RESPONSIBILITY, FAIRNESS, CITIZENSHIP, AND
CARING. We are
thankful for our
school counselors, Mrs. Hale
and Miss Wright,
for
reinforcing
these important
topics with all of
our students!
Experience Preschool &
Preschool Registration
Mark your calendars for
Thursday, November 21 from
4:00-6:00 PM.
During this
time, you can bring your preschool aged child to Webster
School to explore our preschool
program. This is a great time
to see our amenities, ask questions, and let your child explore.
They will have the chance to
make a snack and an art activity too! If you would like to register your child to attend,
please call 665-2484. When
you visit, we will also give you a
registration packet for the
2014-15 school year. We will
open registration on Monday,
December 2 at 8:00 AM.
Traditionally, we fill up fast due
to overwhelming parent support, so be sure to be there to
reserve a spot for your child!
Recess Before Lunch
Donors Choose Recipients
Several teachers at Webster have participated in and had great success in the Donors Choose
program. They have received free items for their rooms like online programs, such as BrainPopJr
(pictured to the left is Henry, Cayley, and Walter displaying this), puppets, curriculum games, and
extra manipulatives.
DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.
Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on the site
and anyone can give an amount to the project of their choice. Once the project is funded, the
items are shipped directly to the school! This has been great for the kids at Webster School!
We are having much success with a new
concept...recess BEFORE lunch. We have
one quarter down and we already notice
the differences: kids are eating more, kids
are wasting less, there are fewer lunchroom behavior issues, and the kids return
to their rooms ready to learn. We are
thankful for a flexible staff to make this
work so well!
Middle School News
Message from Mr. D
We are in the midst of the 2nd quarter and soon will be finishing
up the semester. I want to thank the teachers for the dedication
and efforts that they give each day with the students here at YMS.
You will see them working early in the mornings with students, as
well as until well after 5 o’clock some days to make sure that students understand the concepts that we are teaching here at YMS. I
also want to thank the parents for their efforts to make sure that
their children are here on time for school and that they reinforce
their strong work ethic on their children. “The price of greatness is
responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Dvoracek at 605665-2419 or email tdvoracek@ysd.k12.sd.us.
YMS State Assessment Scores and Accountability
Each year the Department of Education releases the assessment
scores from the previous spring. We as a staff take time to look
over areas where we are doing very well as well as areas that may
need some improvement.
As some of you may know, the state of South Dakota has
recently changed the way student achievement is calculated and
considered. More emphasis has been placed on how kids are growing academically through the entire school year, instead of how they
perform on a test one time a year. This new system is being put in
place a piece at a time with input from the United States
Department of Education and other educational groups. Beginning
in the spring of 2014, the state of South Dakota will begin using the
Smarter Balance Online Assessment instead of the Dakota STEP
pencil and paper test. Those scores, along with other information,
are being used to help determine a School Performance Index or
SPI that allows our schools to be compared to others in the state to
see how we are doing.
Yankton Middle School received a total School Performance Index
(SPI) score of 81.98 out of possible 100.00 points and received a
classification of “Progressing.” The State of South Dakota is looking
at Student Achievement differently in order to get an unduplicated
count of students, and hold more schools accountable.
Our Attendance rate is at 97% and is one of the highest rates
among the big schools in South Dakota. This has to be contributed
to our Attendance policy that was implemented a few years ago. It
is important that your children are in school each and every day.
We do understand that there will be some types of illness and
appointments that have to be made, but when those start to add up
to more than 7 to 10 days we become concerned.
In the areas of Math and Reading we have continued our tradition
of having high scores. In math we had an achievement score of
77.9%. In reading we had an achievement score of 78.4%. We continue to build our curriculum around the focus areas and look for
ways for all children to succeed.
For more information on these scores please go to the district
webpage at http://www.ysd.k12.sd.us/districtreportcard .
YMS Happenings Now On-line
Please go and check out the Yankton Middle School on-line newspaper/blog at http://ymshappenings.blogspot.com/
Counseling
Yankton Middle School, Mrs. Burgeson
YMS students have been busy
participating in Red Ribbon and
Character Counts Weeks. A few
of the activities included were
dress up days for the different
character colors, coloring grocery
sacks for Hy-Vee, creating a
paper “Character Counts at
YMS” quilt, and a bullying activity. Also, you will see included
an aerial picture of a red ribbon,
created on our YMS football
By Todd Dvoracek, Principal
field, by over 500 students and staff to support a safe and drug
free school!
7th and 8th Grade students spent time in their TCE/LCE classes
along with assistance from the counseling department, matching
themselves with careers through a program called SDMyLife. Tools
on SDMyLife give students a step-by-step guide on where to start
and what to do to have a successful career tomorrow. It is never
too early to start planning.
Middle school students are experiencing a tremendous amount
of change. If they are sixth graders, just a few months ago they had
only one or two teachers. Now they may have seven or eight. Their
bodies are growing and developing every day. Added to the equation
are the hormones and emotions that accompany the physical
changes. This all can create the perfect storm for unrest at home
and at school. Although they are beginning to look like adults, middle school students still need parental and adult guidance and
assistance. Here are a few tips from the American School
Counseling Association for parents and caregivers as they navigate
the middle school years.
1. Periodically (but not continuously) communicate to your child the
importance of education.
2. Build up your child’s confidence and self-esteem.
3. Work with your child to help him or her develop a positive attitude
toward homework and school.
4. Provide encouragement to your child whenever possible.
5. Be a good listener. Make it a point to give your child eye contact.
6. Be available to discuss problems your child is having, whether
they are large or small.
7. Set up your child’s time schedule to include a balance of work,
play, and study.
8. Establish a time for sharing and caring.
9. Take part in your child’s education- be active in his or her school.
10. Show your love and affection to your child - often!
YMS English Language Arts (ELA) ADOPTION
By Jackie Hovden
The process for the adoption of ELA instructional resources for
the Yankton Middle School has begun for this current school year.
This year will see the YMS ELA Department in coordination with the
YHS ELA Department reviewing and accessing various forms of content delivery systems be it through textbooks, digital devices, electronic, and/or online content or a combination of all these forms of
delivery. YMS and YHS ELA Departments have sent survey’s to
various SD schools asking pertinent questions regarding instruction
through the use of digital devices. These surveys will be discussed
with the ELA Department staff and administration. The YMS ELA
Department will also be receiving presentations by a few textbook
companies in the following weeks to come. Today’s instructional
materials need to address the full range of learner’s in our classrooms, with specific attention given to the learning needs of English
learners, special needs students, and advanced learners.
The adoption of new ELA instructional resources is to provide the
staff with the tools necessary to deliver the curriculum and meet
the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These up-to-date
resources will serve to enhance the already quality education the
students receive at YMS. The YMS ELA Department will also take
into account those resources that will include a continuum of learning, connections to parents and administrators to plan and evaluate.
The YMS ELA Department will be performing rigorous reviews of
the resources in both print and electronic format to identify those
that align to our established criteria. The materials must also be
carefully reviewed regarding content, size, durability and numerous
other factors. By updating the YMS ELA instructional resources we
are guaranteeing that our students will receive the knowledge and
skills necessary to enrich their educational lives and to best meet
their needs. An effective instructional resource has content that
includes the important concepts that all students need to learn,
addresses variable learning styles, and incorporates teaching and
learning techniques that help ensure student mastery.
The YMS ELA Department will present our recommendations to the
YSD School Board sometime during their March or April board meeting. The instructional resources will then be on display at the YSD
Administration Building for 30 days at which time the public will have
a chance to review the materials and given their comments about
the instructional resources that the YMS ELA Department wishes to
adopt for the 2014-2015 school year.
The adoption of ELA instructional resources is a 7-year rotation.
The ELA adoption is actually a year behind due to budget constraints
that have occurred over the past few years.
YMS 8th graders
Lauren Schild and
Abby Cuka make soap
as part of a chemistry
lab experiment at
Mount Marty College’s
women in science
event.
Women in Science
By Carol Larrington - YMS Science Teacher
On October 15, 67 8th graders from YMS attended the Women in
Science event at Mount Marty College. This event featured presenters in the areas of life science, earth science and chemistry and
gave the girls an opportunity to choose from a variety of different
topics in each of these areas. Some of the presentations featured
hands on experiences for the participants. This year’s featured
speaker was a Mount Marty college graduate who worked as a plant
biologist at Disney’s Epcot. The event aims to promote math and
science and the preparation needed for careers in these fields. The
event draws students from several of the surrounding communities
as well as Yankton.
7th and 8th Physical Education
By Carmen Robinson - Physical Education Teacher
Most experts believe physical education helps children:
• focus better, be more alert
• have more energy
• work well with others
• reduces stress and helps students be healthier.
As the new school year has begun, YMS physical education
classes have started the year strong. During the months of August
and Septembers, the 7th and 8th grade PE classes were involved in
Tennis and Lacrosse units. Students learned and practiced the
skills for each game as well as the rules and strategies for play.
The next unit will be fitness testing. The students have been
involved with goal setting for their tests. They use the scores they
achieved last year to set new and improved goals this year.
Music at YMS
ReNae Jackson, Kim Olson, Kim Evander
The 2013/2014 school year is off to a great start for the performing music ensembles at YMS. The participating 7th and 8th
grade students in chorus and band showed their musical skills during the annual YMS Homecoming Celebration. This fall, the band
marched in the YSD Homecoming Parade and was a guest performer at the Yankton Band Boosters Band-Aide Concert. The 7th
and 8th grade band, chorus and orchestra will also perform during
the YMS Veteran’s Day Program to be held on November 8, 2013.
We have a busy concert season coming up in December. Please
mark your calendars and plan to attend the middle school music
concerts.
Middle School
continued on page 13
Yankton School News,November 2013–13
Middle School continued from page 15
The 5th – 8th Grade Band Concert will be held on Thursday,
December 5th at 7:00pm. The concert will be performed in the YHS
Main Theatre.
The 7th – 8th Grade Chorus t/6th – 8th Grade Orchestra Concert
will be held on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm. This concert
will be performed at the Yankton Middle School Old Gym.
The 6th grade general music classes recently completed a unit
on composition. Students composed their own rhythm ensembles
and melodies and were able to perform these compositions for their
class. The 6th grade general music classes are currently learning
about music of the world and how music plays a role in different cultures and society.
The YMS Marching Band under the direction of Ms. ReNae Jackson marches
through the parade route at homecoming.
6th Grade Math
Beth Kaltsulas and Jill Muth
We are off to a great start in the 2nd quarter of sixth grade math.
Our students have quickly mastered their locker combinations and
schedules and are having a great time experiencing the excitement
of middle school.
At the beginning of this school year, we introduced our students
to their textbooks, Big Ideas Math. The math series was developed
around the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical
Practice and Content. This program consists of fewer, more focused
standards that provide opportunities for students to develop a
deeper conceptual understanding of key ideas on which to build.
At the start of the school year, we reviewed the basic operations
of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, order of operations, and the perimeter and area calculations of polygons. In our Students in Mrs. Beste’s class work on their project in the Lifetime Career’s
first chapter, the students evaluated and wrote algebraic expres- class. These students are working on making a healthy snack to sewing a pillow.
sions, practiced the distributive property, and used formulas to solve
problems. In their next chapter, the students practiced adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals. Then our students created posters depicting their interpretation of peace for the local
Lion’s Club. We are currently adding, subtracting, multiplying, and
dividing fractions and mixed numbers.
Students use a note-taking journal daily to help them with assignments, quizzes, and tests. Smart Boards are used daily to teach,
practice, and reinforce core curriculum standards and complete
classroom activities.
YMS – 7th & 8th Grade Social Studies
Walmart Donates $1000 to Yankton Middle School
Submitted by Sue Dumke, Amy Long, Aimee Mors, Carmen Robinson,
Stacy Ryken, Jason Savey and Luke Youmans
7th grade Social Studies classes have developed a foundation
for Geography using the Foundations of Geography textbooks.
Students have been exposed to the five themes of geography and
will apply those to different countries as we progress through the
school year. We have also studied the Earth’s physical geography
and human geography. After finishing the Foundations of Geography
textbook in November students begin studying the United States
and Canada.
8th graders at Yankton Middle School study U.S. History. During
the months of December and January students focus on the causes
of the Civil War, the Civil War itself, and Reconstruction (the time
period after the war). This was a time of enormous change in our
country and students not only identify the change, but analyze the
causes of that change. Students will read the novel Across Five
Aprils while studying the war. This novel provides not only a coming
age story of a young boy during the war, but historical accuracy
about the war and how civilians’ day to day lives were affected.
Many of the assignments that students complete during this unit
incorporate technology. Students use Microsoft Outlook, Excel and
Publisher to complete assignments.
Walmart Supercenter of Yankton surprised the staff of Yankton
Middle School on September 5th with a very generous donation to
help teachers in their classrooms.
Through the Teacher Rewards program, Walmart provides more
than $4 million to 90,000 teachers in the U.S. during the 2013
back-to-school season. These funds will help offset the approximately $350 plus that teachers spend out of their own pockets
each year for classroom supplies.
Twenty YMS teachers were randomly drawn to receive the $50.00
gift cards for a total of $1000.
Walmart applauds the difference that teachers are making in the
lives of students. The reward
cards can be used to purchase
school supplies and nutritious
snacks for students that may
not have regular access to food.
Thank you for all you do for
America’s future.
Pictured from left to right: 6th Grade
level leader - Jackie Hovden, 7th
Grade level leader - Teresa Janssen,
Wal-Mart – Rochell Lundquist, WalMart Store Manager –Chad Bent, 8th
Grade Level Leader – Brooks Schild,
and 8th Grade level leader – Amy Long
TCE (Technical Career Explorations)/LCE
(Lifetime Career Explorations)
by Tiffany Beste - LCE Teacher
The Family and Consumer Science class as well as the
Technology Education Class had somewhat of a facelift over the
summer. Not only did we have a change to the names of the
classes, but we also had some movement of the teachers. Tiffany
Beste who had been teaching Technology Education moved over to
the Lifetime Career Explorations class and she was replaced by
Luke Youmans who is now teaching the Technical Career
Explorations class. We are trying to place more of an emphasis on
exploring possible careers that students may have an interest in
later in life. We are also having local business people come in and
talk to the students about what it is they do in their particular
career. The Career Explorations classes will also be teaming up
with Mrs. Burgeson, who is the past Family and Consumer Science
teacher, now current middle school counselor, to work with the SD
MyLife program in hopes of giving the students an idea of what
careers they may be good at and enjoy later in life. The SD MyLife
program uses assessments and creates profiles for the students to
continue to track their progress toward their preferred career
choices.
Former YMS teacher, Reynold Loecker, shows off his exotic
chickens to YMS 6th graders during homecoming activity
rotations.
Students in these Technical Career’s classes work on various projects from
rocketry to video productions.
Students that wore red on Friday
October 25th participated in a photo
on the YMS football field of a “Red
Ribbon”. Thanks to Dave Tunge and
Pauline Rhoades for helping out with
this fantastic picture.
Students in Mr. McGlone’s classroom are
using the chrome book devices for a
research project.
The 7th grade students work with Mrs. Ryken’s mother
to learn how to make the Norwegian treat of lefsa.
High School News
Welcome
It is hard to believe that the school year is in full swing! We have
had a great first quarter and are well on our way through a great first
semester. The staff at YHS is working hard to bring the students an
education that prepares them for their future. The fall conferences
were recently held and it was wonderful to see the parent support as
we had a great turn-out.
Yankton High School Takes Number 1 Spot!
The results of the 21st Century Accountability Model in South
Dakota were announced. Yankton High School is ranked 1st among
the largest 14 schools in South Dakota. The scores listed below represent three different graduating classes from YHS. The Student
Achievement data represent the class of 2014. The High School
Completion Data represent the class of 2013. The College and
Career Readiness Data represent the class of 2012.
By Jennifer Johnke, Principal
Communication with parents and staff has also been valuable for
student success. Parents will be able to access the parent portal in
PowerSchool which will allow tracking of student progress and ability
to contact teachers via email. Email has become a valuable communication tool as it allows an initial communication line between staff and
parents to be established. I made a habit of checking my own student’s grades every Thursday. I would encourage freshmen parents
who wish to receive daily announcements via email to send me an
email at mbies@ysd.k12.sd.us and I will add you to my distribution
list.
I look forward to the 2013-2014 school year and working with the
class of 2017. Know that your student is attending a school that is
committed to student success and continues to work diligently to
meet the needs of the students at YHS.
out procedures in the Student Handbook.
The District
Attendance Policy is online, and can help answer common attendance questions. If your child must be absent, contact the
Attendance Office immediately. Finally, parents and students
can monitor absences with Power School.
• Try to limit the amount of time that your child misses school
due to medical appointments or illness. If possible, avoid scheduling doctor’s appointments—or any other appointments—during
the school day.
• Schedule family events with your child’s school schedule in
mind. Plan holiday celebrations or family trips during weekends
or school vacations. In the case of family emergencies or unexpected trips, talk to your child’s teacher as far in advance as
possible and set up a way that your child can bring important
homework on the trip.
Regular attendance in school is a predictor of your child’s success in their future career by promoting good habits that are recognized by employers, so what you do now can help today and for
years to come.
New Staff
We have several new additions to our staff at Yankton High
School for the 2013-2014 school year. We welcome the following
staff and wish them the best during the school year:
Kelsi Kinnunen – Special Education
Jennifer Kirchner - Counselor
Trey Krier – Mathematics
Jill Larson - Spanish
David Mann – English
Rhonda Sohl – Physical Education
Kim Velk – Chemistry/Mathematics
Barbara White – Assistant Principal
Music/Art Departments
Freshmen Focus – Transition
Attendance
Marc Bies, School Counselor
Transition is something all of us either embrace with excitement,
approach with anxiety, or a combination of the two. The Class of
2017 makes the transition to YHS and a start to a new phase of
their education. The YHS staff recognizes the importance of freshmen getting off to a good start and the impact that has on success.
YHS has been meeting this need through a program called Freshmen
Focus.
Freshmen Focus changes each year but the underlying keys to this
transition remain the same. I have put together 4 keys to a student’s success at YHS which I have found effective. They are:
1. Be Here- attendance on a daily basis is extremely important for
student success. Replacing what occurs in the classroom is difficult
and it is the student’s responsibility to make up work in a timely manner.
2. Be Prepared- YHS staff has high expectations that include daily
preparation. We encourage parents of freshmen to schedule at least
90 minutes of daily study time for their students. I recommend that
this be scheduled on Sunday through Thursday.
3. Use Common Courtesy and Common Sense- Respecting the
rights of others to learn is something our staff expects from our students. Therefore use of common courtesy and common sense in the
classroom eliminates the need for discipline.
4. Ask for Help- Our staff is available to provide assistance to students. This requires effort on the student’s part to schedule a time
that works for our teachers. Students who take advantage of this
help typically are some of our most successful students.
Barbara White, Assistant Principal
As we get in full gear second quarter, it is a great time to review
the district’s attendance policy. Regular and consistent attendance
at school is extremely important in ensuring your child’s success in
school. Research indicates a statistically significant relationship
between student attendance and student achievement. By attending
class regularly, your child is more likely to keep up with the daily lessons and assignments, and take quizzes and tests on time. Students
who attend school regularly are more likely to pass reading and math
assessments.
Another perk of good attendance relates to students entering their
senior year. Seniors have the opportunity to gain open campus privileges. Open campus is earned in part by not having excessive tardies
or absences. Since a student’s grades and attendance prior to their
senior year affect their open campus privileges, it is a benefit to all
high school students to review the open campus qualifications which
are listed in the student handbook.
A parent’s commitment to school attendance sends an important
message to your child that education is a priority for your family, that
going to school every day is a critical part of educational success, and
that it’s important to take your responsibilities seriously — including
going to school. When you make school attendance a priority, you
take an important step in your child’s success at school and in future
careers.
Here are three tips to help promote good attendance:
• Follow the school’s guidelines and attendance policy, and report
excused absences immediately. You can read the check-in and check-
Todd Carr, Chair
Art 1 classes are working with tempera paint and studying
color theory, value, and visual balance. Drawing & Painting
classes are working with tempera paint on a four step abstraction assignment. The pottery students are using coils to create
their pottery. After learning about Native American Potters such
as Maria Martinez, they are creating a project using red clay that
can be in the style of Native American pottery. Our next projects
will be using slabs of clay.
Currently, there are five sections of choir at YHS totaling 160
students in the program. Those choirs are Acappella, Choraleers,
Girls’ Choir, and two sections of Concert Choir. Each choir is preparing music for our Holiday concert, which is Tuesday, December
3rd at 7:00p.m. in the YHS Theater. Sixteen students are getting ready for all-state choir to be held in Sioux Falls on
November 1st and 2nd. YHS Orchestra students are preparing
for the Thirteenth Annual Yankton College/Yankton High School
Orchestra Festival on Tuesday, November 12th. More than 200
students from Nebraska and South Dakota are expected to
attend the festival. Guest conductor for this year’s festival is
Joseph Rodgers from the University of Minnesota, Mankato.
Yankton College generously helps fund this event to keep it
affordable for regional string students.
The YHS Marching Corps finished up its season with a literal
“bang” on Thursday, October 24 with its finale Indoor Show. The
Corps has improved its numbers to 118(up 13) and is looking
forward to another year, hopefully several to come, of growth.
The YHS Bands(128 in number, up 15 from the previous year)
are currently working on preparing for various honor band and allstate appearances as well as upcoming concerts, appearing at
home athletic events, prepping for the start of the jazz band season and a fantastic trip to Chicago on November 26.
High School continued on page 15
High School
Español
Students show off their Mole Day Projects
Making Science Concepts Memorable
Dr. Angie Hejl – Chair
Avogadro’s number. It’s a fundamental constant in chemistry
used to quantify the number of atoms in a given amount of a substance using a unit called a mole. Avogadro’s number (named after
a chemist who hypothesized the concept) and the mole are also the
basis for all chemical calculations!
A chemistry text used at YHS states, “One mole of something
consists of 6.022 X 1023 units of that substance.” For many this
may seem like some random, extremely large number; in fact the
magnitude may be very difficult to imagine. To give students some
concept of the magnitude of the number, the chemistry text states a
mole of marbles is enough to cover the entire earth to a depth of 50
miles! However, since atoms are so unimaginably small, a mole of
atoms is a perfectly manageable way to quantitate matter at this
level. Application of this concept is something students must master if they are to master the basics of chemistry. Even if chemistry
is “not their thing”, so much of what we enjoy in modern life is
dependent on chemistry. Thus educating future chemists is vital.
Now Avogadro’s number may elicit a “so what?” as one ponders
it. Our teachers are well aware that students may have this attitude, so they are constantly trying to find creative ways to help make
abstract science concepts more memorable. One example is a special project that YHS chemistry teacher Julie Koch has used for the
past several years. She not only teaches the concept, but celebrates it with a festive “Mole Day.” In this way students not only
learn analytically (typical in science studies) but they get the opportunity to stimulate their creativity and other learning styles (such as
artistic) to master the concept of the mole.
Mole Day at YHS begins at 6:02 am on October 23rd (10-23).
Arriving at school adorned in her mole t-shirt and jewelry, Mrs. Koch
is ready to greet students as they drop off their projects for the day.
The celebration includes partaking in cookies and cakes and other
foods students have brought decorated with Avogadro’s number.
Other students sing songs and read original poems that proclaim
the significance of this number. Some students arrive displaying the
number on clothing to remind everyone that this is an important
number. And there are always a few unusual projects such as a sock
puppet show or a “mole” purse.
Celebrating learning is not unique to Mrs. Koch’s science classroom. Science teachers (actually all teachers) at YHS are constantly
striving to provide learning activities that help make concepts
memorable. All that remains is for students to become engaged in
the learning.
Sra. Pam Kallis
Spanish students at YHS have started the year off well with a
new textbook. “Realidades” from Pearson Publishing offers great
videos, listening activities and exciting vocabulary. In Spanish I students are learning
how to describe
themselves and
others as well as
to talk about
activities
and
classes that they
enjoy. Spanish II
has been reviewing present tense
verbs and will
soon start with
the past tense. In
Spanish III and IV, Students in Sra. Kallis’ class learn about Día de Muertos.
students
are
excited to be able
to expand their
vocabulary
and
improve on language
skills.
Students at all
levels are encouraged to begin to
independently
seek out ways to
Students in Srta. Larson’s class learn
further
their
about the Spanish culture.
knowledge of the
language. Suggestions include: watch Spanish cable channels (commercials and children’s programming are especially good.), listen to
Spanish music (and download lyrics to sing along), watch your regular DVDs but with Spanish subtitles (a BIG help in developing reading skills), try speaking to native speakers (perhaps you can help
them with English) and go out to eat at an ethnic restaurant and
order in Spanish (food and vocabulary – does it get any better?).
Mathematics
Marjorie Kindle, Mathematics Department Chair
The YHS Math Team competed at the University of South Dakota
Math
competition
last
spring. The registration fee
and transportation was paid
for with a grant from the
Foundation. Yankton High
School finished 2nd in the
large
school
division.
Theresa Barnes won the
scholarship given out at the
contest.
Other individual
winners included:
Mr. Krier encourages Selena Cayetano to work Pre-calculus:
Juan
through an Algebra problem.
Skorey(Honorable Mention)
Algebra II: Garrett Adam(Honorable Mention)
Geometry: Joseph Kelly(Excellent), Cody Perakslis(Outstanding),
Hannah Williams(Superior),
Algebra I: Kelsey Westerman(Superior), Sophie McKee(Excellent),
Ben Rust(Superior)
The state of South Dakota rates high schools on student achievement, high school completion, and college and career readiness for
the 2013-14 school year. YHS scored 84.69, 1st among the large
schools. YHS had 82.47% of our students(Class of 2014) score
advanced or proficient on the Math portion of the Dakota Step Test
in the spring of 2013. The Yankton High School class of 2013 had
an average Math ACT of 21.8
The math department welcomes two new teachers to the department this year. Kim Velk teaches Algebra I. Kim graduated from
Yankton High School. She earned her undergraduate degree from
Mount Marty College and her master’s degree from the University of
South Dakota. Kim also coaches softball. Trey Krier teaches Algebra
I and Geometry. Trey graduated from Mount Marty College. Trey
taught at Gayville before coming to Yankton High School. Trey and
his wife Jenny are expecting their first child in November. Trey will
be the sophomore boys’ basketball coach
YHS Teacher Accepts Presidency
Jill Mikkelsen, English Department Chair
Presiding over an organization of
80 fellow English Language Arts
teachers might be daunting to
some, but not Yankton High School
Language Arts Teacher Cassi Pietz.
“I am very proud to represent an
organization that is so important to
our profession,” Pietz said.
Pietz officially assumed her
duties on October 11, 2013 during
the state conference of South
Dakota Council Teachers of English
(SDCTE) in Chamberlain. One of the
goals of the organization is to create
structured opportunities for ELA
Cassi Pietz addresses the members teachers across the state to share
new and best practices on classof SDCTE during the annual
room instruction. The organization
conference.
also recognizes outstanding young
leaders and veteran teachers in the membership. In conjunction
with the National Council Teachers of English (NCTE), they also
honor a South Dakota author and encourage writing through an 8th
grade writing contest, 11th grade writing contest and a literary
magazine contest.
Pietz, who teaches speech, forms of literature, sophomore composition, non-fiction, advanced grammar and English 9, has been
teaching at YHS for 6 years.
A SDCTE member since 2005, Pietz joined the organization
because she “wanted more ideas for the classroom. I wanted to
learn from other teachers in the state and see what they were
doing.” During her years in the organization, Pietz has been active.
She has been a presenter, coordinator for the literary magazine contest and designer of the Facebook page. In addition, she served a
two year term as vice-president. In 2006 retired English teacher
Patricia Schulze nominated Pietz for the young leader award which
Pietz won. As the SDCTE young leader recipient, Pietz had the opportunity to attend the NCTE convention in Nashville. As part of her
presidency, Pietz will be able to attend the NCTE convention in 2014
in Washington, D.C.
During her two year term as president, Pietz “hopes to expand
our membership and even reach out to college students. I also want
to continue to build more of an on-line presence in the state.”
A graduate of Bon Homme High School, Pietz and her husband
Matt live in Yankton and have three young children, Cohan, Camden
and Cyver.
Additionally, the English Department welcomes new English
Language Arts teacher David Mann. Mr. Mann teaches sophomore
composition, grammar, forms of literature and American literature.
Hometown: Rosemount, MN
Education: College: BA, Gustavus Adolphus College, 2010, Music
Education; Augsburg College, 2012, English Education.
Teaching: Student teaching at Minneapolis South High School;
Minneapolis Southwest High School; Paraprofessional at Jolley
Elementary (2012-2013)
Favorite class in high school: US History. My teacher, Mrs. Erickson,
was warm and welcoming toward all of her students and always willing to share events in her life with us. Her teaching has impacted
the way that I interact with my students.
Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (followed closely
by The Lord of the Rings series by Tolkien)
Favorite poet: Tennyson
High School continued on page 16
High School
Favorite unit so far: Lord of the Flies. I find Golding’s symbolism to
be very meaningful; even more than that, I have enjoyed helping students get excited about uncovering and exploring those symbols as
well as drawing parallels to our own world.
Family: I have been married to my wife, Chelsea, a medical student,
for a year now; we enjoy reading, baking, running, singing, and
attending church.
interested please contact the high school. We continued with our
school spirit by helping the Pioneer Club get ready for Homecoming
through decorating the commons for the homecoming dance.
On October 15th twenty student council members traveled to
Sioux Falls for our annual region meeting with other eight other
Spirit Point student councils. The theme was health, focusing primarily on: mental, physical, social media, and nutrition. The members were able to bring interesting and useful information back to
the council and the students of Yankton High School. This same
theme of health will continue at the State convention which we
attend in Pierre in March. To wrap up October, the council hosted a
homeroom pumpkin carving contest, with the pumpkins judged on
November 1st in the YC Alumni Hall. The pumpkins were on display
for the public from noon to 3pm on the November 1st. The winning
homeroom won a donut and milk party. The week of Halloween the
council hosted their annual Great Pumpkin find, where a pumpkin
was hidden somewhere in the school and students and staff had a
chance to win a roll and juice in the commons for finding the pumpkin.
the National Honor Society will be working with the Yankton
Chamber of Commerce Education Committee in recognizing
Character Counts week at the high school. The week of October
28th to November 1st recognized the Character Counts “pillars of
character” by highlighting a different color and quality of character
each day. Monday was Blue – for trustworthiness and honesty;
Tuesday was Orange for fairness; Wednesday represented respect
and the color was Yellow; Thursday was Red for caring and drug-free
lifestyle and Friday celebrated responsibility and the color was
Green. The NHS has several activities planned but will start each
day by handing out candy to those students who wear the colors of
the day!
On November 22nd, YHS National Honor Society once again
organized a Holiday Food Drive. This has been a very successful
and fun event for the entire student body. A competition was held
between homeroom and grade levels to see who can donate the
most items. All food items are then donated to our local Food
Pantry. An important part of YHS National Honor Society is service
and these events plus more demonstrate the members’ commitment to this goal.
National Honor Society
Wants Your Blood!
2013-14 Student Council
Student Council
Becky Tasa - Advisor
Yankton High School Student Council has been busy with the
start of the school year. This year’s the council is led by President
Johanna Lippert, Vice President Abby Schulte, Secretary Kate Schaa,
Treasury Sophie Drotzmann, Parliamentary Greg Hauer, and Sergeant
in Arms Nick Raab along with the thirty-six student representatives.
We started our year organizing a calendar which includes several
fundraising events and fun activities for the students and staff at
YHS. The student council worked the inflatables for Riverboat Days
this summer; by helping the Riverboat Days Committee the council
is able to hold activities throughout the school year.
In September we decided to show our school spirit by selling
Yankton Spirit shirts and Walter’s Warrior shirts to support our fellow classmate who is fighting cancer. The t-shirts sales were a success and we were able to make a donation to the Walter Warrior
fund. We still have some Yankton Spirit shirts available if you are
Jennifer Powell - Advisor
“I vant your blood…” you may very well
have heard members of the YHS National
Honor Society saying these words.
Although Halloween was just
around the corner, their request
has nothing to do with goblins,
vampires and jack-o-lanterns. It’s
the annual NHS sponsored Blood
Drive. On Wednesday, October 23rd, a
team from LifeServe Blood Center was in
the library holding a blood drive for any volunteers 16 years and older. Students that are
16 & 17 needed permission slips to participate; and all students were scheduled in their
study halls and open periods. This is an
annual event and the National Honor
Society works hard as hosts and hostesses assisting the team of medical personnel and to the students donating.
Following on the heels of the Blood Drive,
Ashtyn Haak, Abby Slattery, Tara Richardson, and Devin Clark
take a break from the working on derivatives
After school, David Mann (far left) reviews with two grammar students.
Yankton Spirit Shirts
are still available
with limited sizes.
Maddie Manning, Haley Schild, Hannah Williams, and Jaclyn Arens were just a few of the students who helped to decorate the commons for homecoming.
Contact the
Yankton High
School if
interested $10.
www.ysd.k12.sd.us
Follow us on twitter @ysd633 and our Facebook page Yankton
School District for the latest announcement and calendar events.

- Yankton School District

Transcription

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