What a Beautiful Day

What a beautiful day we had today.  The weather was noticeably cooler and there was a nice breeze.  It was a perfect day for the Chickasaw Open.  If you don't know, this is a fund raiser for the district to provide items and opportunities for our students that the district may not normally be able to purchase.  I want to thank Sally Kriener and her husband Lyle for putting this together and all the volunteers that helped out today.  They all do a great job of making this a fun well-organized event.  Also, a big thanks to all of the businesses and individuals who made contributions to make this happen.  Finally, thanks to all the people who came out and golfed and also enjoyed the great food.  I love barbecue and I must say the food today was awesome!!

As I mentioned last week, registration is next week.  I hope to see nearly every student and/or parent on those days.  Then it's just a couple of weeks and school will be starting.  As parents you can really help your child get the new school year started right.  The Iowa Department of Education publish a newsletter titled Each and Every Child.  In this months issue they talk about some things to help your child start the new school year off right.  Here's the condensed version of their main points:  

A. Talk to your child about going back to school in a positive manner.  

B. Encourage your child to talk about what he/she expects in school.

C. Create enthusiasm by taking your child back to school shopping.
D. Discuss the change in routines with your child.
E. Begin the new bed times both morning and night at least a week in advance.  

You can view the complete newsletter here.  You can view previous newsletters here.  

If you have any questions or concerns about the New Hampton School District, please contact me.  My email address is j_jurrens@new-hampton.k12.ia.us or please call me at (641) 394-2134 ext. 2039.  

School Registration

It's hard to believe that in two weeks we will be holding school registration.  It will take place on August 2nd and 3rd in the Elementary/Middle School Cafeteria.  Look for information in next week's New Hampton Tribune and also look for something in the mail.  It's important that everyone register during these times so that we can make sure we are prepared for all students on the first day of school by having adequate supplies and staff members.  If there is someone new to the community who may not see or receive registration information, please share this information with them as well or let us know about them at the school and we will contact them to make sure they know about this process.

With registration coming that also means that fall sports will be starting shortly.  Please make sure your child has a physical before the first day of practice and you have adequate insurance coverage for anything that may occur.  The school does have insurance available for purchase if you need it.  In order for your child to have the best experience possible, it's important that he or she is ready to go on the first day by having the physical complete and all paperwork completed and turned in.  If you have any questions about this, please send me an email (jjurrens@new-hampton.k12.ia.us) or contact the superintendent's office at (641) 394-2134.  A quick word about athletics/activities, students who participate in some extra-curricular activity in school tend to do better in school and they find they enjoy school more.  If your child is at an age where extra-curricular activities are available, please take time to visit with him or her about participating in something.  New Hampton students are fortunate to have such a wide variety of activities available to them.  I'm confident there is something that everyone can find that he/she enjoys.  

Finally, when you come to registration please take time to stop by and introduce yourself and your child to me.  I plan to be at registration most of the time on both days as I want to take the opportunity to meet everyone I can.  I continue to learn more about the school and community every day and I have to say I can really see why it's Great to be a Chickasaw!!  

Thanks for stopping by, please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions or concerns about the New Hampton District.  

Here is my first blog post as the new superintendent for the New Hampton School District.  Please check back regularly as I will share many of the latest happenings within the school.  First, let me say it is a privilege and an honor to serve this community.  I look forward to working together with you and all the district's residents as we improve our district to make it the best place possible to educate our children.

A large part of my first year will be spent learning about the district and community.  I will host several community meetings to get your feedback on where the district is and where it should be going.  From these meetings I hope to establish several committees that can help plan our district's future direction.  I have presented my Entry Plan to the board of education.  In this plan, I share my planned actions that will help me during my first year. You may view it here.  If you cannot attend a meeting, but still would like to provide feedback, please contact the superintendent's office at (641) 394-2134 to set up an appointment or to visit on the phone.  

It's hard to believe it is July 13th already.  The custodians are doing a great job getting the buildings ready for the school year and we are finishing up some of the summer projects.  The buildings will .be ready for the first day of school.  If only we could get a little rain to help green things up a little.  Anyway, I'm heading to Waukon this evening to cheer on the boys in their first round sub-state game.  I hope to see you there.  Go Chickasaws!