January 12, 2108

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Happy Friday! As I am writing this the students are taking their first semester test. It feels good to get this first semester behind us and to start on second semester. Hopefully this semester starts better than our first one. No more health scares from any of you!

 As we work on implementing the Iowa Core, this is a good time to examine what essential learnings you have covered and what still needs to be covered in the next 90 school days. You may have to adjust pacing guides to make sure the essentials will get covered.

 Melissa and Judd will be starting to have registration talks with the classes in the next few weeks. This is a little later than normal, so our meetings will not happen until the end of February, beginning of March. Hopefully we will still be able to have a master schedule out before you leave for the summer on this time line. 

 I will be meeting with seniors next week who may have come up short in a class during the first semester. I know I will have a few that will be in jeopardy of not graduating. Don't forget to turn in the PASS Plan summary for any student who failed a class. I have shared the list of students who have had a PASS Plan for 1st semester. 

 Next week Wednesday we do have a district in-service. CIA members will be getting an agenda out to you soon. 

 A new requirement this year by the state is for each district to have a district CTE committee, made up of CTE teachers, non-CTE teachers, counselors, and administration for grades 7-12. This committee needs to review our district CTE plan that Mr. Shanks, Mrs. Leavitt, and I created. The plan also needs to be presented to outside stakeholders. The plan really doesn't change the way we do business. Much of it was taken from our original plan where students worked on the I Have A Plan website. We are now using MAP, but the requirements are the same as in the past. 

 Be Extraordinary!
Mark

Staff News

Congrats to the Starr Family for the birth of a baby boy.

 Ms. Bowmaster and Ms. Bomgaars are presenting at the Board Retreat on January 22. They will be demonstrating how they have implemented the laptops they received into their curriculum.

 Mr. Oetken and members of the FFA will also be presenting at the Board Retreat. They will be giving the board information about what they have been doing, and how our courses have changed over the years to now include concurrent enrollment courses.

Staff as Learners

Students as Leaders

Good luck to the following students who will be singing at the NW Iowa Honor Choir on Monday: Sarah Benton, Hannah Brennan, Andrea Barrett, Arlinna Bowen, Isaac Lerdal, Zach Spieler, Max Hardyk, and Devon Feenstra.

Assistant Principal's Happenings

Congratulations on getting through the first semester.  As we begin the 3rd quarter, please remind your students in Monday's advisory that attendance will affect their semester test participation in May.  Here are the highlights to hit with them:

 1. Student must have no grades lower than a C- for each quarter.

 2. Students can be absent no more than 4 times in any semester for any non-school related reason.  Long term hospitalization/surgery will count a total of two days if a doctor's note is provided.

 3. No unexcused absences.

 4. Students who accumulate more than 6 tardies in a class will take semester test for that class.

 5. Any truant for any one class period on your attendance during the semester will require you to take all your semester test in May.

 Reminder to all staff to check the teacher duty schedule for second semester.  Make sure you are showing up for your duty.  If you need to switch, then make sure you make a change to the google document shared with you to reflect the changes.

 I am looking for Boy's State candidates for the summer 2018 Boy's State Camp.  Please send me an e-mail of junior boy's that you feel would represent Le Mars Community Schools in a positive manner.  I am looking great leaders, motivated students, with a strong basic knowledge of government.  Please e-mail me your nominations by Friday, January 26th. 

Librarian's News


Success Center Update


Instructional Coaches Corner

Beware of apps distributed through third-party markets, browser ads, and SMS-based spam. There is a piece of android malware called Trojan.AndroidOS.Loapi which is distributed by hiding it in one of these options. Among other nefarious things that it does, it mines for cryptocurrency using your phone. Read more here. 

 Google is going to make your web browsing experience a lot less annoying soon. The company revealed it will stop showing ads in Chrome that don’t meet certain standards for quality starting February 15. Click here to learn more about what will be blocked.. 
Ever wanted to make notes or draw on any website? Now you can with Page Marker! Page Marker is a Google Chrome Extension that allows you to draw on any website in real time in the comfort of your browser.
It's as simple as that! All you have to do is click the red marker icon in your Chrome browser and begin to draw! 

 The Governer's STEM Advisory Council announced the 2018-2019 STEM Scale-Up program menu last Friday. They have approved ten high-quality programs for the STEM Scale-Up Program menu that will be offered to schools, afterschool programs, and other settings for grades pre-K through 12. There are 3 offerings geared directly at high school: CASE Animal and Plant Biotech, CASE Environmental Sci Issues and Computer Science Principles. These are all grant opportunities. Click here if you would like to learn more. 

Articles Worth Reading

Friday, January 12
- 4:45 JV Boy/Girl JV Basketball @ Western Christian
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ Western Christian
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ Western Christian

Saturday, January 13
- 10:40 am Robotics -- League Championships at WITCC
- 9:00 am Freshmen Girl Basketball vs. Sioux City East
- 10:00 am Varsity/JV Wrestling - Le Mars Invite
- 10:15 am Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. Sioux City East

 Monday, January 15
- 5:00 pm JV Wrestling @ Storm Lake
- 6:00 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball @ Western Christian
- 7:15 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball @ Western Christian

 Tuesday, January 16
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. Spencer
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. Spencer
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. Spencer

 Wednesday, January 17
- 7:00 pm Athletic Booster Club Meeting

 Thursday, January 18
- 4:00 pm JV/Varsity Bowling @ Haywarden
- 6:00 pm JV/Varsity Wrestling vs. Emmetsburg and ELC
- 6:30 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball @ Sheldon
- 7:45 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball @ Sheldon

 Friday, January 19
- 1:00 pm Iowa Lakes Jazz Festival
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ Cherokee
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ Cherokee
- 7:30 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ Cherokee

 Saturday, January 20
- TBA Varsity/JV Wrestling Heelan Duels @ SC West
- 8:00 am IHSAA Large Group Speech Contest @ SC East
- 9:00 am Freshmen Girl Basketball vs Sergeant Bluff Luton
- 10:15 am Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. Sergeant Bluff Luton

 Monday, January 22
- State Jazz Band Festival in Le Mars
- 3:30 pm JV/Varsity Bowling vs Sergeant Bluff Luton
- 6:30 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball @ Storm Lake
- 7:45 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball @ Storm Lake

 Tuesday, January 23
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. ELC
- 6:00 pm JV/Varsity Wrestling @ Spencer
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. ELC
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. ELC

 Friday, January 26
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ Storm Lake
- 5:00 pm JV/Varsity Wrestling - Lakes Conference Meet in Le Mars
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ Storm Lake
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ Storm Lake

 Saturday, January 27
- 10:00 am Freshmen Girl Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 10:00 am JV/Varsity Bowling - Le Mars Invite
- 11:15 am Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- Show Choir Clinic and Showcase

 Monday, January 29
- State Show/Jazz Choir Contest
- 3:30 pm JV/Varsity Bowling @ Ida Bowl
- 4:30 pm JV Wrestling @ MOC
- 6:30 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball @ Spencer
- 7:00 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball @ Spencer

 Tuesday, January 30
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ Spirit Lake
- 6:00 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball vs. Unity
- 6:00 pm JV/Varsity Wrestling vs. SC North
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ Spirit Lake
- 7:15 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. Unity
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ Spirit Lake

 Thursday, February 1
- 6:30 pm Large Group Speech State Performers Showcase

 Friday, February 2
- Morningside Jazz Festival

 Saturday, February 3
- IHSAA Large Group Speech State Contest in Le Mars
- Varsity Boy Basketball vs. TBA @ SF Pentagon




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