One label finding its way onto the bingo card is 21^st Century. Many schools are now challenged with how to implement a 21^st Century curriculum, or transform their current school into a 21^st Century school in order to provide a 21^st Century education for the 21^st Century labor force. It makes you wonder if educators of the 19^th century felt as compelled to transform their schools and prepare students for the 20^th century as we are with the transformation to 21^st Century Schools.

 Our new reality is now staring directly at us. By “our” I mean the communities of Shell Rock and Waverly, community leaders, parents, principals, teachers and students. In August of 2011 we will be entering a state-of-the art middle school facility. Our planning language already has us slapping the 21^st century label on everything from curriculum and instructional practices to a set of well defined personal skills and of course school lunch hot dogs! I’m not actually sure what a 21^st century school lunch hot dog is, but it has to be awesome, right?

 In the book 21^st Century Skills- Rethinking How Students Learn (Learning Tree, 2010) Ken Kay, President for Partnership of 21^st Century Skills suggests several skills that “definitely break new ground” in education. These new skills include creativity and innovation, flexibility and adaptability, and leadership and cross-cultural skills for all students. A pretty informed observation on my part would allow me to say that isolated acts of these skills have been and still do take place in our schools today with some degree of frequency. We are beginning to see a more concerted effort among all educators and leaders who recognize the fact that the 21^st century workforce is no longer built on the industrial model most of us knew and experienced. We are hearing loud and clear from all facets of business and industry that what they need are employees who are not only skilled and knowledgeable, but are also collaborative, innovative, flexible, creative and adaptable. As Kay mentions in his foreward, a manager at Apple once told him, “Any employee who needs to be managed is no longer employable.” If we take, at face value, that this perspective is indicative of what most employers are now looking for from their work force, then schools will have to change. A teacher-led model of instruction cannot be the staple practice in any classroom, schools cannot be managed by administrators from the top down and opportunities for teachers and administrators to collaborate to improve student learning must be an adopted best practice.

 A rare opportunity is coming our way with the construction of the new middle school. We have a responsibility to merge a world class educational facility with 21^st century teaching and learning experiences for all. If we merely supplant what we are doing and have done for the past 150 years, we’ll have accomplished nothing more than simply creating a “really cool school” in which to serve our 20^th century hot dogs. Every decision we make now, and plans we lay for next August, must be done through a lens that will better prepare students in assuming their role within our communities, the jobs they will be asked to fill and their place in a global society.

To learn more about this topic go to http://www.p21.org/ for more information.

On advisement from law enforcement officials, we are now practicing this type of drill with a fully informed student body. Several years ago we were instructed to keep our procedure for such an event under wraps so as not to further inform someone, who may have a desire to do harm in school, with our plan of action. Updated training now asks us to practice this drill with students and teachers as a means of “empowering” them with the knowledge of what to expect if the unfortunate were to happen. Initially it sounded a bit counter-intuitive; however, after implementing and practicing the revised drill last year, we heard this very same message from the teachers. As they prepped the students for the upcoming drill, students were asking very good questions which teachers felt helped once the drill was underway.

They say knowledge is power and it certainly appears to be the case when training students (and teachers) for any crisis situation. I am sometimes asked why the parents are not informed of the process or procedures we employ. Again we take our cue from law enforcement. The wrong information out to the general public is information that can also be used against us by someone with intentions of doing harm in the school.

Everyone’s comfort level is different. and I’m sure some of you might feel we should be more transparent with all aspects of our crisis training. Others might feel very confident that we, as school officials, have been properly trained and train our people to react in a way that takes the best available research on such matters and incorporates that information into our training regimen.

As always we continue to review and evaluate our crisis plan at the building and district level but if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me or our interventionist Dave Price at 352-3632.

Thank you!

The long arm of the law from a school’s perspective doesn’t stretch much beyond the confines of the school environment; unless of course the problem begins to manifest itself here at school or affects a child’s desire to come to school. However, it’s important to note that when such problems crop up at home, and we (parents and school officials) don’t see the issue playing out at school at that moment, I’m often forced to tell a parent to either contact the other set of parents and, in some instances, to contact law enforcement. As of this posting, we have or are dealing with three such situations. So what can you do?

Having children of my own who can crank out a couple thousand text messages a month each, and who have Facebook pages, and who have their own email accounts, and who IM their friends, I know first hand what I call E-bullying can look like. Every parent takes their own approach in monitoring their child’s activities with such resources. For me, I took a one step approach that may seem unconventional to many of you but I believe it’s what MY kids would understand. In short I tell them, “If you choose to have a Facebook account, utilize texting options on your phone, or IM your friends and so on, YOU are entirely responsible for the content you post or send.” Do I monitor every single posting? Absolutely not. There is a degree of trust that I place squarely in their lap which is not to say that I’m disengaged but is merely to point out to them that once my wife and I made these options accessible to them, it was at a time when we felt they were mature enough to handle it and fully understand the consequences of misusing these forms of communication. Our kids did not get their first cell phone until their sophomore year in high school when time away from home and multiple school activities kept them out of contact with us more and more. I’m not here to say this rule applies to every household, I’m simply sharing what I believe was best for our kids.

Several years ago, we were faced with a situation in which our youngest was first getting involved with Facebook and posting pictures. After an incident at school, I took the time to show her just how easy it was to take Facebook information from her page and manipulate and use it how I saw fit. This simple demonstration resonated with her (to the point of tears) in just how precarious it is to post personal information and pictures on Facebook. Now, let me be the first to say, my wife and I are not the kind of parents who proclaim, “My kid would never ________________,” or “When I have kids they won’t __________________”. Those two phrases are the kiss of death!! Having served in public education for 24 years, I’ve heard these comments from parents and without fail it ends up backfiring on them. Kids are kids and will always do what kids do which is to push the boundaries consistent with their own personal level of risk.

I urge you to take a few minutes and talk to your child about what they post for the rest of the world to see. Once the “Send” or “Post” button is pushed it’s nearly impossible to, if you pardon the cliché’, unring the bell. Should your child find themself a victim of e-bullying we encourage parents to utilize the Print Screen (PrtScn) feature on your computer or to simply do a Copy/Paste on to a Word document for documentation purposes. If the e-bullying is taking place at home, we may not be able to do much here at school but we will certainly do what we can to provide options and support to you and your child.

Mr. Kwikkel – Principal

Mr. Price – Interventionist

 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

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!

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!

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!”

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.