September 28, 2018
Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great week. It is nice to get homecoming past us. As we hit midterm of 1st quarter, we may start seeing some increase in unwanted behavior as students are becoming more comfortable. Please stay on top of them and if they do something that we don't want them to do, please handle it right away. By not handling it you are inadvertently sending the message to the rest of the students that it is ok to do this. If you are on duty, please make sure you are at your spot at the designated time. If you are running late for some reason, let Mr. Utesch or myself know so we can try to cover. We can't have areas unsupervised.
Just a few reminders for next week. We have parent/teacher conferences on Monday and Thursday. No extra hour meeting, but you do need to meet in your PLC group. Please make sure someone from your group uploads the minutes onto the team drive for your department. On Tuesday, Juniors will be taking the Iowa Youth Survey. This will happen during their Junior English class. Finally, we have an Evac Drill on Wednesday at 1:10 pm, weather permitting.
Don't forget about scheduling PASS Plan meetings. Parent/Teacher Conferences would be a perfect time to do this. Please call parents of students at risk and schedule an appointment to meet with them.
Finally, if you have an idea for a new class, don't forget to get me those proposals by November 1.
Have a great weekend!
Mark
Here is a great article on engaging readers: 5 Surefire ways to engage the adolescent reader - go to the bottom left and click - it will download the pdf file.
Saturday, September 29
Monday, October 1
Tuesday, October 2
Thursday, October 4
Friday, October 5
Saturday, October 6
State Marching Band @ Sheldon
8:30 am Varsity Volleyball @ Western Tournament
Monday, October 8
4:30 pm Cross Country @ Spirit Lake
6:00 pm College Fair
6:15 pm JV Football @ Boyden-Hull
Tuesday, October 9
5:00 pm Large Group Speech Kick Off Meeting
5:30 pm JV/Freshmen Volleyball vs. ELC
6:50 pm Varsity Volleyball vs. ELC
Wednesday, October 10
8:30 am PSAT testing
Thursday, October 11
4:30 pm JV/Varsity Volleyball @ SSC
5:00 pm Freshmen Volleyball @ SSC
Friday, October 12
4:15 pm Freshmen Football vs. Spencer
4:30 pm Cross Country @ Unity Christian
5:00 pm Music Booster Soup and Pie Supper
7:00 pm Varsity Football vs. Spencer
Halftime - Mass Band Show
Saturday, October 13
Dutchman Field Competition @ MOC
8:30 am Freshmen Volleyball Home Tournament
8:30 am Varsity Volleyball @ Sioux City East
Monday, October 15
4:30 pm JV Volleyball Home Tournament
6:30 pm JV Football vs. Spencer
Tuesday, October 16
7:30 pm Vocal Concert
Wednesday, October 17
2:00 pm ASVAB Testing
Friday, October 19
4:00 pm Freshmen Football @ Denison-Schleswig
7:00 pm Varsity Football @ Denison-Schleswig
Just a few reminders for next week. We have parent/teacher conferences on Monday and Thursday. No extra hour meeting, but you do need to meet in your PLC group. Please make sure someone from your group uploads the minutes onto the team drive for your department. On Tuesday, Juniors will be taking the Iowa Youth Survey. This will happen during their Junior English class. Finally, we have an Evac Drill on Wednesday at 1:10 pm, weather permitting.
Don't forget about scheduling PASS Plan meetings. Parent/Teacher Conferences would be a perfect time to do this. Please call parents of students at risk and schedule an appointment to meet with them.
Finally, if you have an idea for a new class, don't forget to get me those proposals by November 1.
Have a great weekend!
Mark
Students at Leaders
The following students will be visiting SmithCo with Mr. Dalton today: Edward Anguiano, Mark Auyon, Xander Carver, Devon Feenstra, Kameron Hinkle, Tate Hogrefe, Kory Kass, Ethan Kuiken, Brady Lamp, Connor Ouradnik, Lane Poulson, Brett Volkert, Nick Ward, Jayden Wilson, David Frank, Uriah Groetken, Cody Ott, Jacov Paredez, Jordan Singer, and Brock Voorhees.
Ms. James took the following students to Morningside's District Soil Judging Competition: Christian Koch, Kaden Detloff, Wade Fischer, and Mia Haage.
Good Luck to the Big Red Band as they kickoff the marching band competition season at Starfest on Saturday. They perform at 2:15 pm.
Ms. James took the following students to Morningside's District Soil Judging Competition: Christian Koch, Kaden Detloff, Wade Fischer, and Mia Haage.
Good Luck to the Big Red Band as they kickoff the marching band competition season at Starfest on Saturday. They perform at 2:15 pm.
Staff News
Staff as Learners
Assistant Principal's Happenings
Librarian's News
The U.S. Army has created an online study program to aide students in preparing for standarized tests, improving school work, and reviewing materials. Tools for educators and parents are also available. E-learning and STEM curriculum options are available as well as practice tests for the MCAT and DAT and nursing school (for those of you with college students). Look it over and recommend to your students: www.March2success.comHere is a great article on engaging readers: 5 Surefire ways to engage the adolescent reader - go to the bottom left and click - it will download the pdf file.
Instructional Coaches Technology Tid Bits
I thought it might be a good idea to revisit the Anatomy of a Phishing Scam. It's always a good idea to be vigilant and maybe even a bit skeptical.
This reading is rather handy for those of you wanting to take screenshots on different devices (smartphones, wearables, computers, chromebooks) but don't know how to do it. It even addresses how to take screenshots on wearables such as smart watches.
In an era of fake news and misinformation it is more important than ever to help our students be able to fact check information that they find. The 5 Best Unbiased Fact-Checking Sites for Finding the Truth suggests the following 5 resources: MBFC News, Politifact, Snopes, FactCheck.org, and Google search. It seems to me that a discerning eye would still be a necessary tool when using Google search.
This is a longer reading but might be an excellent one for a language arts class. It's called THE TOWN WITHOUT WI-FI and appeared in the 2015 Washingtonian. Even if it doesn't get used in a class it is very interesting to read.
Another important Best Practice to incorporate in classroom instruction is Activating Prior Knowledge. As we all continue the process of organizing and writing our Unit Plans, it is important to consider the background knowledge of our students. Activating prior knowledge means both eliciting from students what they already know and building any initial knowledge that they need in order to access upcoming content. When students are able to make connections to the text they are reading or the material they are learning, comprehension increases. Research says that good readers draw from, compare, and integrate their prior knowledge with the information in the text. Struggling readers, even when they possess the necessary background knowledge, often do not know how or when to activate or even access this information. Including this in the Unit Plan and explicitly teaching the skill provide the support necessary for readers to make connections that will "unlock" the text.
As a research-based instructional strategy, activating prior knowledge consistently falls at the top of the evolving list of best practices. Literacy experts Fisher, Frey, and Lapp (2012) propose that, "by starting with what students already know, teachers can be more precise in their teaching. They do not need to make guesses about areas of confusion or gaps in understanding. In addition, quick assessments of background knowledge alert learners to their misunderstandings and may make the content a little more relevant" (p. 23). In other words, not only will considering the prior knowledge of students help STUDENTS make connections; it will also make INSTRUCTION more targeted. As you write your Unit Plans, think about those pieces of information you really want or need your students to know before they start the unit. Simply understanding a vocabulary word that we all take for granted may be that one key students need to unlock their learning. Have a great weekend!
This reading is rather handy for those of you wanting to take screenshots on different devices (smartphones, wearables, computers, chromebooks) but don't know how to do it. It even addresses how to take screenshots on wearables such as smart watches.
In an era of fake news and misinformation it is more important than ever to help our students be able to fact check information that they find. The 5 Best Unbiased Fact-Checking Sites for Finding the Truth suggests the following 5 resources: MBFC News, Politifact, Snopes, FactCheck.org, and Google search. It seems to me that a discerning eye would still be a necessary tool when using Google search.
This is a longer reading but might be an excellent one for a language arts class. It's called THE TOWN WITHOUT WI-FI and appeared in the 2015 Washingtonian. Even if it doesn't get used in a class it is very interesting to read.
Success Center Update
We all see students who encounter concepts (vocabulary words, experiences, events, etc.,) for which they have no frame of reference. Rather than admit they do not understand, students will often skip the question, guess, or pretend they know when they really don't.Another important Best Practice to incorporate in classroom instruction is Activating Prior Knowledge. As we all continue the process of organizing and writing our Unit Plans, it is important to consider the background knowledge of our students. Activating prior knowledge means both eliciting from students what they already know and building any initial knowledge that they need in order to access upcoming content. When students are able to make connections to the text they are reading or the material they are learning, comprehension increases. Research says that good readers draw from, compare, and integrate their prior knowledge with the information in the text. Struggling readers, even when they possess the necessary background knowledge, often do not know how or when to activate or even access this information. Including this in the Unit Plan and explicitly teaching the skill provide the support necessary for readers to make connections that will "unlock" the text.
As a research-based instructional strategy, activating prior knowledge consistently falls at the top of the evolving list of best practices. Literacy experts Fisher, Frey, and Lapp (2012) propose that, "by starting with what students already know, teachers can be more precise in their teaching. They do not need to make guesses about areas of confusion or gaps in understanding. In addition, quick assessments of background knowledge alert learners to their misunderstandings and may make the content a little more relevant" (p. 23). In other words, not only will considering the prior knowledge of students help STUDENTS make connections; it will also make INSTRUCTION more targeted. As you write your Unit Plans, think about those pieces of information you really want or need your students to know before they start the unit. Simply understanding a vocabulary word that we all take for granted may be that one key students need to unlock their learning. Have a great weekend!
Article Worth Reading
Upcoming Activities
Friday, September 28
4:00 pm Freshmen Football @ SBL
7:00 pm Varsity Football @ SBL
Saturday, September 29
Starfest Marching Band Contest @ SC
8:00 am Varsity Volleyball @ Urbandale Tournament
Monday, October 1
4:30 pm Freshmen Volleyball @ Western Christian Tournament
5:00 - 8:30 pm Parent Teacher Conferences
6:30 pm JV Football vs. MOC-Floyd Valley
Tuesday, October 2
4:30 pm Boy Cross Country @ Cherokee
5:30 pm JV/Freshmen Volleyball @ Spirit Lake
6:50 pm Varsity Volleyball @ Spirit Lake
Thursday, October 4
4:45 pm Girl Cross Country @ Fort Dodge
5:00 - 8:30 pm Parent Teacher Conferences
5:30 pm JV/Freshmen Volleyball @ Cherokee
6:50 pm Varsity Volleyball @ Cherokee
Friday, October 5
4:00 pm Freshmen Football vs. Heelan
7:00 pm Varsity Football vs. Heelan
Saturday, October 6
State Marching Band @ Sheldon
8:30 am Varsity Volleyball @ Western Tournament
Monday, October 8
4:30 pm Cross Country @ Spirit Lake
6:00 pm College Fair
6:15 pm JV Football @ Boyden-Hull
Tuesday, October 9
5:00 pm Large Group Speech Kick Off Meeting
5:30 pm JV/Freshmen Volleyball vs. ELC
6:50 pm Varsity Volleyball vs. ELC
Wednesday, October 10
8:30 am PSAT testing
Thursday, October 11
4:30 pm JV/Varsity Volleyball @ SSC
5:00 pm Freshmen Volleyball @ SSC
Friday, October 12
4:15 pm Freshmen Football vs. Spencer
4:30 pm Cross Country @ Unity Christian
5:00 pm Music Booster Soup and Pie Supper
7:00 pm Varsity Football vs. Spencer
Halftime - Mass Band Show
Saturday, October 13
Dutchman Field Competition @ MOC
8:30 am Freshmen Volleyball Home Tournament
8:30 am Varsity Volleyball @ Sioux City East
Monday, October 15
4:30 pm JV Volleyball Home Tournament
6:30 pm JV Football vs. Spencer
Tuesday, October 16
7:30 pm Vocal Concert
Wednesday, October 17
2:00 pm ASVAB Testing
Friday, October 19
4:00 pm Freshmen Football @ Denison-Schleswig
7:00 pm Varsity Football @ Denison-Schleswig
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