January 24, 2025

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Friday Focus 

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week. The school will be busy on Saturday as we host the district speech contest. We will have lots of students and visitors in the building and in our rooms. You will want to put anything you don't want messed with away in your room if it is being used as a center. Ms. Hommes can let you know if your room is a center. 

During our inservice, we dove deep into the Boys Town Behavior model, focusing on four critical strategies that support student success:

  1. Planned Teaching: Proactively teaching expected behaviors before they're needed. For example, demonstrating appropriate hallway transitions or discussing respectful communication strategies before group work.
  2. Effective Praise: Specifically acknowledging positive student behaviors. Instead of a generic "good job," try "I appreciate how you listened carefully and raised your hand before speaking."
  3. Corrective Teaching: Addressing inappropriate behaviors by clearly explaining the expected behavior, providing a model of the correct action, and having the student practice the appropriate response.
  4. Guided Self-Correction: Empowering students to recognize and adjust their own behaviors by asking reflective questions like, "What could you do differently next time?"
I encourage each of you to implement the specific classroom management plan you developed during Wednesday's inservice. These personalized strategies, tailored to your unique classroom dynamics, will be most effective when consistently applied.

A Special Thank You to Staff Reflection Participants: I want to personally thank those who have already completed the inservice reflection form. Your feedback is crucial. The CIA uses these reflections to guide professional development and refine future inservice plans. This is your opportunity to directly influence our professional growth and share what support you need. If you haven't submitted your reflection yet, please do so as soon as possible. Your voice matters, and your input helps us improve our collective professional development.

Important Upcoming Dates:

  • January 24: Shelter Drill (9:50 am)
  • January 27: 8th Grade Parent Registration Meeting (6:30 pm)
  • February 4: 3rd Quarter Midterm
  • February 12: Building In-Service
  • February 18: Honors Program Meeting
  • February 24: End of Trimester 2 (Grades due February 27 at 8:00 am)

Thank you for your continued dedication to our students' academic and personal growth.

Mark

Assistant Principal's Happenings

Things to Announce:

A reminder of today's shelter drill at 9:50am.


Things I'm Thinking About:

First, thank you to our CIA team for continually putting together solid training.  It is a difficult job -- to stand in front of your peers and also try to find things that are applicable to all positions.  CIA has done this with professionalism and grace this year.  Thank you.


Along with the Boys' Town theme -- during inservice, I was reflecting on how I was utilizing the 4 strategies. I thought I would share them so that you can see what is happening in my office and hopefully to encourage you that this is indeed a building-wide effort.


Planned Teaching -- I don't do as much of this as I used to, since I am not leading a class every day.  But we have done this recently in the lunch room to teach procedures to freshmen and also with our student section leaders regarding game conduct (along with some reminders -- aka "corrective teaching").


Effective Praise -- I find myself using this quite a bit for our students that have a hard time regulating themselves or have lower maturity levels.  I try to praise good choices they make when appropriate to reinforce proper behavior.


Guided Self-Correction -- This is the one I use the most often.   When you send a student to the office for behavior, one of the first questions I ask them is "What happened?"  Partially because I am required to give them due process, but it also helps us to start the self-reflection process.  As our conversation unfolds, I will ask, "What could you have done better?" -- this usually gives us the points of apology they will use when we visit with you later to apologize.


Corrective Teaching -- One "aha" moment that I have practiced but didn't realize was part of the BT skill set -- it is possible to have empathy for a student yet hold them accountable.  Thank you CIA for that insight.


Grateful for our team, 

Moss


Upcoming Activities


Friday, January 24
TBD - Jazz Band @ Iowa Lakes
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. SC East
5:30 pm Boy Freshman Basketball vs. SC East
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. SC East
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. SC East

Saturday, January 25
8:00 am District Large Group Speech - Le Mars
8:00 am Boy Varsity Wrestling @ Heelan
10:00 am Girl Varsity Wrestling @ Long Lines 
10:00 am Boy Varsity Swimming @ Lewis Central

Monday, January 27
3:00 pm Boy/Girl Bowling @ Bowlero Bowl - Council Bluffs AL
4:00 pm Jazz Band - IHSMA HS Jazz Band Competition @ Le Mars
6:30 pm 8th Grade Parent Registration Meeting

Tuesday, January 28
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Heelan
5:00 pm Boy Varsity Swimming vs. South Sioux City @ SC West High School
5:30 pm Boy Varsity Wrestling @ Adrian, MN
5:30 pm Boy Freshman Basketball vs. Heelan
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Heelan
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Baskeball vs. Heelan

Thursday, January 30
8:00 am NWI HS Honor Orchestra @ Northwestern
2:00 pm Iowa Lakes Jazz Choir Festival
4:00 pm Boy Varsity Wrestling @ SC East - Conference Tournament

Friday, January 31
TBD - USD Quad State Honor Band/Cyclone Honor Band
4:00 pm Girl Varsity Wrestling - 2A Regional @ Lewis Central
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Council Bluffs AL
5:30 pm Boy Freshmen Baskeball vs. Council Bluffs AL
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Council Bluffs AL
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Council Bluffs AL

Saturday, February 1
TBD - USD Quad State Honor Band/Cyclone Honor Band
9:30 am Boy Varsity Wrestling @ Kingsley Pierson
10:00 am Boy/Girl Bowling - Le Mars Invite

Monday, February 3
3:30 pm Boy/Girl Bowling vs. MMCRU, SBL, & West Sioux @ Sweet Sixteen Lanes
4:00 pm State Show Choir - TBD
5:00 pm Boy JV Wrestling @ MOC

Tuesday, February 4
3:30 pm Girl JV Basketball @ SC North
4:00 pm Boy JV Basketball @ SC North
4:30 pm Boy Freshman Basketball @ SC North
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball @ SC North
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball @ SC North

Wednesday, February 5
TBD - Morningside Jazz Band Festival

Thursday, February 6
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Western Christian
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Western Christian
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Western Christian

Friday, February 7
12:30 pm Boy/Girl Varsity Bowling @ Lynx Bakers Bash - CB AL
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. SC West
5:30 pm Boy Freshman Basketball vs. SC West
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. SC West
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. SC West

Saturday, February 8
8:00 am State Large Group Speech @ Spencer
12:00 pm Boy Swimming @ Johnston - Districts

Monday, February 10
1:00 pm Boy/Girl JV/Varsity Bowling @ Plaza Bowl - MRC Championships
5:30 pm Boy JV/Freshman Basketball @ Lewis Central
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball @ Lewis Central

Tuesday, February 11
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. CB TJ
5:30 pm Boy Freshman Basketball vs. CB TJ
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs CB TJ
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs CB TJ

Thursday, February 13
HS - Northern Festival of Winds @ UNI

Friday, February 14
HS - Northern Festival of Winds @ UNI
4:00 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Spencer
5:00 pm Boy Swimming - State Meet @ Iowa City
5:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Spencer
7:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Spencer

Saturday, February 15
HS - Northern Festival of Winds @ UNI
12:30 pm Boys Swimming - State Meet @ Iowa City

Monday, February 17
NWIBA District Jazz Band Contest - Le Mars
6:00 pm Boy Freshman Basketball vs. SC West @ North High
7:30 pm Boy Freshman B Basketball vs. South Sioux City @ North High

Tuesday, February 18
6:00 pm Honors Program Meeting for Class of 2028 - Little Theater
7:30 pm Jazz Band Concert

Wednesday, February 19
7:00 pm Girl Varsity Basketball - TBD

Thursday, February 20
TBD - Boy Freshman Basketball - Sioux City Tournament
7:30 pm Band Concert

Friday, February 21
9:00 pm HS Winter Dance

Saturday, February 22
8:00 am Large Group Speech All-State Festival

Sunday, February 23
2:30 pm 


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