January 18, 2019

Happy Friday! I hope the first week of second semester has gone well for everyone. I am always glad to get this week under the belt because it seems like their is always a little chaos during this week. Just a reminder that today is the last day a student can add a class and next Friday is the last day a student can drop a 7th class. We do have some classes that have quite a few students in them so their could be some last minute moving around if possible. 

I was planning on meeting with departments next week to discuss numbers, however, the state has passed a financial literacy requirement starting for the class of 2020. This means our current Juniors would need to get a financial literacy class. The state is supposed to give more guidance in February, but if this is the case, some of our elective numbers may change. So we will put things on hold until I know more about what is going on. 

Since we just finished 1st semester, I am putting this out there to get input. I have talked to a few people about the idea of having semester test prior to Christmas break next year. Using this year as an example, we would take the test, then when we come back from break you could do either a final project or another chapter. I see more potential for issues with semester classes than for year-long classes, please let me know your thoughts.

The sample tests are available on the ISASP website. This is the assessment that is replacing the Iowa Assessments. During the January 23rd meeting and February 6 meeting I would like you to take the practice assessments so you can see what the students will have to do. After you do this, you may want to schedule a time for the students to take the sample test. There is definitely a learning curve to the test. The test can be found here: http://iowa.pearsonaccessnext.com/test-prep/

Have a great weekend!
Mark

Students at Leaders

Good Luck to Josie Matgen, Jecenta Sargisson, Jaycee Davison, and Claire Ohlrichs as they wrestle at the first ever Girls State Wrestling Tournament!

Staff News

Staff as Learners

Assistant Principal's Happenings

Book Nook - notes from the Librarian

I know Mrs. Cunningham has done a version of this before, but here is a new site where you could have kids create a fake Facebook page in order to demonstrate their comprehension of a famous person in history, a character in a novel or story, a series of historical events, or even demonstrate a relationship between characters, historical figures, and/or political debates. Look at Fakebook. Classtools.net also has a number of other game options and more to create study guides, quizzes, activities and more. Check it out! 

Instructional Coach's Technology Tid Bits

Have you wanted to created a Google Site and only share it with a certain group of people? Well now you finally can. The only catch is that the people you are sharing with have to have a Google account.

 Using Google Docs is a great way to collaborate on and share documents. Sometimes, though, you want to provide somebody with a PDF instead of an editable document. Google Docs now lets you edit your sharing link to provide a PDF. Best of all, if you edit the original document, the PDF link automatically includes any changes you made. Here’s how it works.

Could Walgreens massive brick and mortar presence around the world combined with a recent partnership with Microsoft and telemedicine pave the way for them to expand into first class primary care options for a variety of customers and create a major new revenue stream? It may be years down the road with several potential obstacles but you can click here to read all about it.

If you are somebody that always notices when Google makes changes to its appearance then brace yourself because it will be happening again soon. If you would like some previews of what it will look like or want to read more in detail, click here.

A judge in California ruled that feds can’t force people to unlock their smartphones with a finger or thumbprint, facial recognition, or even an iris. Although the government had shown probable cause to search a property in Oakland, California, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore said the government’s expectation to seize all devices and force people at the house to unlock them with their biometrics “runs afoul of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.” Click here to read the entire article.

Advanced Phishing Scenarios You Will Most Likely Encounter This Year

And Finally, the 2019-2020 STEM Scale-Up Programs list was recently released. Click here to see what programs are available and the requirements if you are interested in applying for one.

Success Center

One of the strategies we work on with students in the Success Center is questioning.  Good readers constantly question what they are reading.  They ask questions before, during, and after they read and use questions to find purpose in what they are reading.  Struggling readers tend to ignore the questions they have - if there is a vocabulary word, concept, or passage they don't understand, they skip it and keep going.  Often, that means they are missing the meaning in the text and misunderstanding the value of the assignment.

Questioning is one strategy that is effective across the content areas and can be taught in connection with any subject and with students of all abilities.  Here are three quick questioning strategies to use with students that will clarify text and improve comprehension:

1.  Connect how questioning applies to the real world.  Provide opportunities for students to practice asking questions with material they read in class.  Making connections between text and background knowledge makes the reading more relevant and applicable.

2.  Model questioning techniques before, during, and after reading.  Anticipate questions students might have about a particular text, and show students how to ask and answer questions.

3.  Good readers know that sometimes answers to their questions aren't in the text, and they need to go to other sources to find the answers.  Teach students that answers can be found in three places: in the text, in their head, and in another source.  Model and give examples of each.

As a strategy, questioning will help clarify information, improve comprehension, and give reluctant and struggling readers control over their own learning.

Article Worth Reading

Upcoming Activities

Friday, January 18

Iowa Lake Jazz Festival
4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Cherokee
6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Cherokee
7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Cherokee
9:00 pm Swinter Dance

Saturday, January 19
TBD - Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Heelan Duals
8:00 am IHSSA IE Speech @ Sheldon
9:00 am Girl Freshmen Basketball @ SBL
10:15 am Boy Freshmen Basketball @ SBL

Monday, January 21
State Jazz Band
3:30 pm Varisty/JV Bowling vs. SBL
4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball @ ELC
6:00 pm Girl Freshmen Basketball vs. Storm Lake
6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball @ ELC
7:15 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball vs. Storm Lake
7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball @ ELC

Tuesday, January 22
6:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Woodbury Central

Thursday, January 24
NWI MS/HS Honor Orchestra Festival @ Dordt
6:00 pm Girl Freshmen Basketball vs. Sioux City East
6:00 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball "B" game vs. Sioux City East - Carey Gym
7:30 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball "A" game vs. Sioux City East

Friday, January 25
4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Sioux City North
5:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Spencer
6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Sioux City North
7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Sioux City North

Saturday, January 26
9:00 am Boy Freshmen Basketball @ Storm Lake
9:30 am JV Wrestling @ Kingsley-Pierson
10:00 am Girl Freshmen Basketball @ Storm Lake
10:00 am Varsity/JV Bowling Le Mars Invite
12:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Sioux City East
1:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Sioux City East
3:15 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Sioux City East

Monday, January 28

State Show/Jazz Choir Contest
3:30 pm Varsity/JV Bowling @ Ida 
6:00 pm Girl Freshmen Basketball vs. Spencer
7:15 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball vs. Spencer

Tuesday, January 29
4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Spirit Lake
6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Spirit Lake
7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Spirit Lake

Thursday, January 31
6:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Sioux City North
6:30 pm Large Group Speech Showcase

Saturday, February 2
TBD - Boy Varsity Basketball @ Sioux Falls Pentagon
Robotics Super Regionals @ WITCC
8:00 am IHSSA Large Group Speech @ Spencer
9:00 am Girl Freshmen Basketball vs. Sioux City North