“You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!”

How is that for a holidy greeting?

 Actually this quote comes from a good buddy of mine and is generally used when a waterfowl hunt or fishing excursion doesn’t go according to plan. As much as we plan and prepare and apply years of knowledge chasing geese and our favorite finny friends…sometimes the circumstances are just not in your favor!

Winter weather is no exception so as I plowed in from Shell Rock this morning I felt a couple of quick reminders on district and junior high policy might be wise. Here it is in a holiday nutshell.

1. When the superintendent determines we are either having a late start or an early dismissal ALL JUNIOR HIGH before and after school events are cancelled for that day. I cannot think of a time when we’d have an exception to this policy but one never knows. Unless you would hear from me directly, this is what we’ll do.

2. On days when school is cancelled, the same is true for the JUNIOR HIGH. We’ve gone so far as to tell our coaches to not have “voluntary” practices or even “open gym” on those days.

3. Weather postings can be found by watching KWWL Channel 7 or listening to AM 1470 for the latest school announcements. The announcement is also posted on our district homepage. You may also choose to utilize Snocap at http://snocaponline.net/. The directions are pretty straightforward but if you need help contact my office.

4. All of our snow make up days are added to the end of the school year. At this point in time our last day of school is now June 1st.

5. Finally please make sure you and your child know what the plan is for any of these weather related delays or cancellations. On most days either Penny or myself are around for the full days unless the weather is getting worse and then we’ll take off when all children are picked up. On some of the cancelled days I try to get in when I can but email is the best way to contact our office on cancelled days.

If you have any questions please give us a call at the office.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes.

Steve

5-8 Facility Proposal

During the next six weeks, you’ll undoubtedly (and hopefully) hear and learn more about the proposed 5th thru 8th grade middle school facility. Having gone through a similar process during my tenure at Spencer Middle School in Spencer, Iowa, many of the questions asked of me then are beginning to surface once again. Not so much strange but more of interest to me are the similarities in the nature of the questions. In surveys given to students about transitions to a new school building, results from elementary students in both Tipton (my first administrative 5-8 job) and in Spencer bear out three very very clear stressors to these students.

1. Showering in P.E. class.

2. The lunch process.

3. Getting their lockers open.

Now, would you have anticipated that? You see, one thing most students clearly recognize is the fact that the adults in the building will take care of their daily class and classroom needs. What’s unclear to most elementary students as they ponder the transition to middle school are the times when they will likely be asked to do something independently or when a teacher may not be directly involved. Most parents’ main concerns stem from the peer/academic side of things relative to bullying, peer pressure, grades, teacher expectations, extra-curricular opportunities and so on. Although there may appear to be a slight disconnect between the two groups, the tie that binds both is merely the fear of the unknown.

So, what can be done? I don’t want to oversimplify or trivialize these feelings or emotions but…here it is in a nutshell. It REALLY is in OUR best interest to make sure that we have the right processes and procedures in place to make sure these stressors are eliminated or greatly reduced for our incoming students and new parents. In my 22 years as a 6th grade classroom teacher, a middle level teacher and now a middle level principal, there isn’t a whole lot I haven’t seen, heard or have helped prepare for students and parents gearing up for this very important transition. Our job as school personnel is to mitigate the fear of the unknown by providing as much information and transition opportunities as possible, in order to familiarize both students and parents of what they can expect during this middle level experience. For example, you’d be surprised how one private tour given to a student and their parents can relieve the anxiety of navigating their way through a brand new school. That little bit of familiarity to their new surroundings is HUGE! And, that’s just one of many things we do each spring as we prepare another class of students for their transition to middle school.

Do we get it right every time for every student and every parent? No. But I believe a vast majority of our students and parents would tell you that within a few short weeks of braving this big new world, these fears slowly begin to diminish as the unknown now becomes business as usual.

As we move forward to a vote on the construction of a new 5^th- thru 8^th grade facility, I would invite you to submit any questions or comments you have to me at steve.kwikkel@wsr.k12.ia.us. If I can’t answer your question I’ll make sure to get you connected with the right person(s). Thank you!

Newly Installed Security Monitor

As we speak,  the next phase of our security camera installation has begun. Three more cameras will be located on 2nd floor giving us seven distinct locations we can monitor 24 hours a day. A second monitor similar to the one shown here will be installed in the team room. 

Your support, through purchases made during last spring’s fundraising event, is helping us to reach our goal of having all external entrances and high traffic stairwells and hallways monitored daily.

Thank you!

A Few Seasonal Tidbits

First I’d like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Holiday Season! It’s so hard for me to believe that we are just weeks away from Christmas Break. Where has the time gone?

At any rate, I thought now would be a great time to update my blog and to share some good news about the goings on here at the junior high. Hang on….here we go!!!

CHEERLEADING

I want to thank Mrs. Toay for all the work she’s put into this year’s cheerleading program. To date she has had approximately 30 girls and one boy participating in her workouts which is great to see. This year we bought new uniforms for the squad and along with her leadership our cheerleading program is off to a great start.

LATIN PROGRAM

A new program that is just now gaining momentum is a course in Latin being offered to three students in the PLUS program. In a joint effort with Mr. Boniface (Jerry) Jacobs and his Latin IV students at Bristol Eastern High School in Bristol, Connecticut our students are gaining personalized instruction in Latin. This is a first of its kind partnership for both Waverly-Shell Rock Jr. High and Bristol Eastern High School and one we intend to grow as the year progresses.

STUDENT SAFETY

The safety and security of out teachers and students remains a high priority and a responsibility we do not take lightly. Over the winter break we will be installing three to four more hallway cameras on second floor and two large viewing monitors in the main office and in the team room.  This system was installed as a proactive measure to serve as a deterrent and a tool to help us maintain the safest school possible for teachers and students. The system upgrade will give us additional viewing points in parts of our building that are often difficult to monitor. The good news really has been in the fact that the system, since its first installation in 2006, has helped us “solve” and or address several incidents which would have either gone unnoticed or unresolved. I want to make it perfectly clear that we are NOT talking about rampant problems with students or building security issues. Instead, we feel we’re be more proactive and getting a much better handle on the daily goings on during the unsupervised parts of our day both before and after school.  If you aren’t familiar with the camera system we have in place, please give me a call and I’d be happy to visit with you.

TELEVISION STUDIO

We’re close! Late this fall with the help of Mr. Steege and Mr. Haugan, Mrs. Cowell and I put the finishing touches on a new television studio located on the stage in the auditorium! With a little wiring and making use of our existing internal TV system, soon our students will be able to do live broadcasts, interviews and present the news, weather and sports to all classrooms in our school. We still have a little work to do but we’re getting close and see this as another great opportunity for kids. We’ll keep you posted.

ITBS SNACKS

And finally on a lighter note I want to thank Hy-Vee, Kwik Star East & West, Fareway, Nestle and YOU for helping us with supplying the brain food during our recent ITBS testing days. Built into each of the days was a time for the kids to grab a quick snack prior to and during testing. Setting the best possible testing environment is important and especially so during our ITBS. The feedback from the teams has been very positive and they too greatly appreciated everyone’s support.

 

In closing I want to remind all of you what has made each of these events and programs possible. Last year’s spring fundraiser was another huge success! The money generated from that event has paid for the food during ITBS, the additional cameras and monitors I spoke of earlier, the TV studio set materials and finally the cheerleading uniforms. I think you’ll agree that without your support each spring, these types of programs would be much more difficult or nearly impossible to get in place for kids.

So on behalf of all the students, faculty and staff I want to say “Thank you!” and “Happy Holidays!”

WSR Jr. High / Fall 2008 Primer

OK I gotta say it. “What a summer”! Throughout Shell Rock, Waverly and a good portion of the Cedar Valley many families, businesses and schools have had a long and challenging summer rebuilding from the recent disasters in our communities. Although for many there are still some unanswered questions, like clockwork a new school year is right around the corner.

 

Here at the junior high we’ve made a few changes that I’d like to share now but which you’ll learn about in detail in the weeks to come. Should you have any questions, please call my office at 319.352.3632. I hope you find this August installment of our newsletter useful as you prepare for the new year.

 

Mr. Kwikkel

 

 

New Teachers

This year we welcome six new teachers to the junior high school.

Art: Mrs. Chelsie Meyer / Axis Team

Language Arts: Mrs. Stacy Skinner / Dream Team

Science: Mr. Nate Heying / Sigma Team

Science:  Mr. Noel McMillin / Dream Team

PLUS Program: Mrs. Sarah Cooper

Developmental Reading: Ms. Lindsay Stevenson / Axis Team

 

Industrial Technology

One of the most challenging teaching positions to fill for any Iowa school is the industrial technology position. After a long process and a set of unusual circumstances I was not able to fill this position at the junior high. I fully anticipate this to be a one year scenario and we’ll be back in the search this spring.

 

With that in mind our Axis (exploratory) courses will look a little different this year. For 7^th graders we’ll add a media literacy-type class in place of industrial technology. Seventh graders will still rotate to a new course every nine weeks. Our 8^th graders will be on a trimester system and rotate classes every twelve weeks. These courses are art, reading strategies, and family and consumer science.

 

School Personnel Email Addresses

We began the transition to a new email address format. All school personnel can be reached via email using the following format. Firstname.lastname@wsr.k12.ia.us.

Ex: Steve.Kwikkel@wsr.k12.ia.us. Please update your address book.

 

Home/School Communication

While I’ll be the first to say that email is a wonderful tool, it’s not without its downsides. First and foremost is the unintended tone an email can take on by the reader. Try as we might to use the cute little happy faces and such to help us express the intended tone of our messages, nothing beats a phone call or face to face meeting to ensure clear and accurate communication. The other downside to email is the fact we often expect an immediate response to our message. Speaking especially for my teachers and support staff, their work schedules do not always allow them a great deal of time at their computer checking email. Most faculty and staff will check email a minimum of three times a day. If you don’t hear back from someone in what you believe is an appropriate amount of time, call the office and Penny will do what she can to help you.

 

“Morning Prep”

New to the schedule this year will be a morning prep time that will run from 8:25 – 9:18 AM. This time will accommodate such programs as band, chorus, advisory groups, and the various enrichment and remediation opportunities as needed by our teams. In short this will be an opportunity for us to assist students in planning their day, getting last minute help on assignments, provide an extended advisory time one day a week and basically a time to wake up the teenage brain. We’ll have more on this during our Back to School Night but we believe this time will help us help students better set the stage for a more productive day at school.

 

“Your” Transition to the Jr. High

Loosely quoting a newspaper article from psychologist John Rosemond, “If you wish success for your child; let them fail.” It sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it? However, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard from a distraught parent, “My child has never gotten lower than an A on their report card. What’s wrong?” Not to over simplify things but upon entering the junior high, your child’s world just got a whole lot bigger and a whole different from their elementary experience. And, in two years, you might wonder the same thing as they move on to high school.

 

The many new challenges, courses, programs, opportunities, and friendships that your child will experience over the next two years, all serve as potential distractions from their normal attention to academics. Not a free pass or excuse for not producing quality school work however, like anything new, the adjustment period for some students happens very quickly while others, unfortunately, will struggle longer. Whether it’s in the classroom or in a chosen extra-curricular activity, expect your child to feel disappointment, failures, and setbacks. They are growing, learning and bringing new challenges into their lives. How we coach them through these times is what’s important. As adults, we don’t have 100% of what we want or need 100% of the time. Why would we expect it to be different for our kids? It’s from these experiences we tend to learn the most about ourselves and the world around us.

 

Jr. High Website

Make sure you add our website to your browser. This past year we really loaded up our website with tons of useful information. Teams are now blogging homework assignments, teachers are posting information about their courses and it’s a place where you can check your child’s grades and attendance through our JMC link. If you need help navigating this site, just give us a call. www.wsr.k12.ia.us/juniorhigh/

 

 

JMC Username and Password

In order to fully access your child’s grades, attendance and demographic information off the web we need a username and password. Call Penny and she’ll answer all of your questions.

 

Key Handbook Reminders

Inside your child’s daily planner you’ll find our student handbook. I REALLY encourage you to take a few minutes to read the following sections. Although I will be covering these and other handbook items at the beginning of the year, I strongly urge you to familiarize yourself with the handbook as well.

• Harassment
• Attendance
• Dress Cod
• Lunch
• Eligibility
• Promotion / Retention

 

Promotion / Retention Policy

A new policy will be in effect starting this fall. Students will still be required to pass six of the eight required semester classes for the year; however, we’ve also added a requirement that utilizes Iowa Test of Basic Skills data in this process. Students who fail to meet the aforementioned criteria will have their ITBS scores analyzed as well when making our final recommendation. Again, this will be shared in greater detail during our Back to School Night in September.

 

 

 

And so it goes…

 And so it goes…Steve Kwikkel – Principal Normally this particular newsletter brings good news of our student’s overall achievement on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. As many of you now know, the number of full academic year (FAY) students testing above the 41^st percentile in reading comprehension, math, and science are used for reporting purposes to both the state and federal government. Last year’s scores were among the highest we’ve seen at the junior high over the past four years. In 2006, both grade levels boasted proficiency levels between 91% and 94% in math and science with reading proficiency levels for seventh graders at 88% and 84% for eighth grade students. This year’s results are puzzling to say the least.  Before we look at the scores themselves, it’s important to understand how our scores are reported. Since we do not report cohort groups, student achievement, when compared to the same grade over time, is a little misleading. Consider our 2006 seventh and eighth grade math proficiency scores of 92% and this year’s scores of 82.5% and 83.8% respectively. At first glance it appears that our eighth grade score dropped by roughly eight percent. This is true when we consider it as just an eighth grade score. The more significant story is that this year’s percentage of eighth grade students proficient (41^st percentile) in math is really last year’s seventh graders. So why the 8% drop in the number of proficient students in math from this particular class? Why did reading scores from this same group drop by 6%? These are just two of several questions we will begin dissecting over the next couple of weeks. However there is a silver lining. How our annual scores are monitored by the state takes into account our overall growth as a system. Simply put, consideration is given to schools to factor in such wildly fluctuating scores from year to year and is often referred to as “safe harbor”.  As teams begin to digest the scores of their respective students, I’m sure we’ll learn a great deal. This story has several layers to it as it does every year. Our performance over time does find us on target for continued growth which is the bigger picture for all schools under No Child Left Behind.  Year    Grade              Reading Comp.          Math               Science’06          7*                             88%                 92%                    91%’06          8                               84%                 92%                    94% ’07         7                                88%                 82.5%                 88.9%’07         8*                              81.8%              83.8%                 88.9% *Cohort group of students, 

Safe Schools…

Safe Schools…Steve Kwikkel – Principal 

Sadly enough, another act of violence in a school has made headlines in newspapers and news broadcasts across the country. The latest tragedy, a school shooting in Cleveland, Ohio, is an ugly reminder of the fragile nature of a school’s sense of safety and well-being.   

Schools unto themselves are communities. They are communities in every sense of the word, replete with all the positive and negative elements one can find in any small town or large city. For all intents and purposes, schools are very safe places. The practices, policies and procedures used to govern schools are in place to serve specific purposes. When these rules and regulations are followed by all (adults and students), a typical school day is rather uneventful. The wild-card, however, is basic human nature. All of us are subject to external influences, which in part play a significant role in our daily behavior. As adults, we possess a more developed set of coping skills that get us through the hurtful times in our lives; but what about our students? Do the kids with whom we work all possess the same highly developed set of coping skills?  

We place great faith in the rules and regulations operational in our schools. They serve us well. However, as most school personnel will tell you, there is a side to all students which manifests itself, good or bad, when adults are not visible or in earshot of their private conversations. Sadly enough, in many of these school tragedies, a common theme arises in which students and adults share an equal responsibility. In my opinion, that theme is basic respect for all people as individuals who want, or do I dare say need, to be heard, valued and recognized. 

Middle school students, in general, have a very strong desire to belong to something. This need to belong is not unique to adolescents, but it is intensified during this period of development as they are also looking to exert their independence. Students who are unable to fulfill this sense of belonging in their school lives may slowly begin to further isolate themselves from the rest of the student body in an effort to protect their sense of identity and self-worth. For the unfortunate student or students who find themselves increasingly isolated from the rest of the school, their commitment to the school as a place where they feel welcomed and accepted can begin to deteriorate. If they are left unnoticed, it’s easy to begin to see how this downward spiral can lead them to a sense of hopelessness and despair. When a child reaches this point, they may feel they are left with few options. Some students will simply disengage from school altogether and in time may eventually drop out. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a child who has reached this point and who has greatly diminished coping skills or support from their parents, peers or trusted school personnel may resort to violence in order to fulfill this need to belong and be recognized. 

An accepted role we as educators assume by profession is our desire to care for, teach and nurture the whole child. We are constantly striving to improve not only the educational setting, but also the social environment within our school. Over the years, we have been able to incrementally put in place a fairly comprehensive set of resources available to students and teachers. Three years ago, Mr. Dave Price was hired as our interventionist. Along with our guidance counselor Mr. Seward, these two are able to handle the dizzying array of personal and peer-related issues so common to middle school students. Our teachers, through our homeroom advisory program, are able to provide another layer of support to our students. The homeroom time is a place where small groups of students meet with their advisor for a variety of activities and character education-related mini-lessons. The advisors work hard to build a positive rapport with their students while providing myriad opportunities for students to interact with one another. Although not new but seriously revamped, and in its fifth year, is our bullying and harassment assembly program which is headed by me, Mr. Price and Mr. Seward. The content of this presentation can be found on our junior high website under the Character Education menu. This fall we added a new social skill component to our programming by introducing to the faculty and students the Girls and Boys Town Social Skills. This well-researched program is giving us not only a common language during an intervention, but it also helps us teach to a student a skill they can draw from in the future. There are sixteen identified social skills, ranging from (and this is my favorite) taking “No” for an answer, to accepting a compliment. I have personally experienced the benefits of this training during my own interventions with students. Moving from a punishment mindset to a teaching (a.k.a. discipline) mindset is a much more positive experience for both the child and the adults. 

In closing, maintaining a safe school does not fall on the shoulders of one person, nor can one or even multiple programs satisfy every child’s needs. Working in conjunction with a child’s parents, guardians, service providers or mentors are all critical supports for kids today. Let’s not be the ones who believe “This will never happen to us.”

(Since the posting of this blog, we’ve upgraded our surveillance camera software, additional cameras will be integrated into the existing system and we’ve adjusted the times in which our building’s doors are locked each day. These are not new practices by any means but do reflect upgrades to our existing safe school planning.)  

Middle School. New Organizational Skills Required!

 The following is an excellent article I’ve been given permission to reprint on this blog. The article is taken from the National Middle School Association’s Middle E-Connections newsletter.

Are Your Students Prepared for the Organizational Demands of Middle School?
Susan MulcaireMiddle school moves at a fast pace. Students have many different teachers, each with his or her own homework, test schedules, and due dates. Add to the mix the after-school clubs and sports that students participate in, and it is a challenge to get organized.

Good work management and organizational skills are essential for balancing the load and minimizing the stress. For some students, organizational skills come naturally, but for most, they must be learned. While there is little classroom time to assess and train students in work management skills, here are some ideas for how you can help your students be prepared.

Help students make the connection
Getting students to value good organizational skills is the first step. Teachers can help by connecting the benefits of good organizational skills to the things this age group values most—more independence, less stress, more free time, better grades, and more self-confidence.

Organized binders are key
A binder is like a compact file cabinet that a student carries around all day to file and retrieve papers, homework, and information. Students must be able to access materials quickly and keep papers neatly stored by subject. Be sure to give students time in class to file papers in the correct place in their binders—no shoving loose papers into backpacks!

Planners are essential
No matter how good a student’s memory is, he or she must have a central place for recording activities. A student’s planner should contain important dates and events such as bell schedule changes, holiday breaks, exams, homework assignments, and project due dates. It’s a good idea for students to include personal items scheduled during school days such as medical appointments, vacations, and after-school activities.

Have a study bud
Students should identify a classmate in each class who can be contacted in the event of a forgotten homework assignment or lost worksheet. The study bud can also help when a fellow student is absent and needs a handout or class notes. Study buds should exchange home contact information.

A homework space that rocks
Encourage students to locate, design, and stock a work space at home. This will help them do their best work in the least amount of time. The space should be quiet and free from distractions such as people talking, TV, and video games. They can deck it out with posters, pictures of friends, or team photos to make it a place they won’t mind hanging out. Make it a “Designer’s Challenge” classroom activity in which students design and photograph their work spaces and vote on the work space “most likely to succeed.”

Be proactive!
Most students, particularly those fresh out of elementary school, have no idea that a typical middle school teacher works with 100 or more students each day. Unaware of the many demands on a teacher’s time, students continue to believe that, as in elementary school, their teachers will track them down to provide a missing assignment. Encourage students to take personal responsibility for following up. You can role-play various student dilemmas in a “What Would You Do?” classroom activity to help students learn to recognize and follow up on matters that affect their grades.

Without basic organizational skills, middle school students can become overwhelmed. In some cases it begins a downward spiral of underachievement that can last into the high school years and beyond. Take some time to help students recognize and appreciate the benefits of good basic organizational skills.

Susan Mulcaire is a teacher, lawyer, and mother of three in Corona del Mar, California

New Jr. High Athletic Director

As the fall sports season is just around the corner, now is a good time to introduce you to our new junior high athletic director Mr. Kevin Rohne ( pronounced Row-nee). Mr. Rohne is an experienced educator having taught both middle school and high school mathematics as well as coaching a variety of sports.

As we make this transition in responsibilities from Mr. Litterer to Mr. Rohne, we ask that you contact Kevin here at the junior high with any any questions you might have relative to junior high athletics. We’re excited to have someone in our building who not only works with our students in the classroom but also someone who’s equally dedicated to ensuring quality experiences for all of our student athletes.

Mr. Rohne can be reached at 319-352-3632.

First Blog Ever!

Good afternoon everyone! Welcome to the new Jr. High Weblog page. As this is developed more information will be coming. See ya’ soon!