It's Summer Time

The heat certainly feels like summer, but with all the rain it still seems like spring.  There's been a lot going on at the school this summer.  The custodians have been painting and cleaning and getting the buildings ready for the first day of school.  Some of the teachers have been busy as well.

On June 18th and 19th, forty staff members joined the building principals and myself to attend the Technology in the Classroom Conference in Dubuque.  This was sponsored by Keystone AEA and Mississippi Bend AEA.  A lot of people think teachers are taking time off and relaxing in the summer.  Actually, it's common for a number of teachers to attend classes or conferences to improve their skills for the next school year.  With the large investment the district has been making in technology with the 1 to 1 initiative in the fall at the middle school and the other infrastructure improvements we've made, I invited the teachers to attend this conference.

While attending the conference, we had the opportunity to attend many sessions on a variety of topics.  Some examples include; 3D printing, the use of gamification in schools, using IPADS in the classroom, and paperless grading to name a few.  None of these staff members had to go, but they were willing to put in the time to improve their skills to provide a better learning opportunity for our students.

Here's a link to the conference agenda, if you want to check out the many sessions that were available.  Be on the look out as the district will be having it's own Facebook Page starting in Early July.  Check here and on the district website for more information as the launch date gets closer.  Thanks for stopping by.

School Calendar

     It's finally beginning to look more like spring.  I know I'm ready for it.  With all the weather we've had this year, we've pushed back the last day of school significantly.  At this time, the last day for students will be on May 29th.  Hopefully, we're done with the bad weather, but I've heard fog can be an issue here in New Hampton.  As this year winds down, we've been working to finalize next year's calendar.  Here is the draft copy we're working on. There are a couple of things I would like to point out.

     First, please notice next year's start date of August 15th.  That coincides with this year's start date of August 16th.  The district starts at that time, in order to allow our semester to end before Christmas Break.  This is an advantage as it more closely aligns our high school program with that of NICC.  This allows our students who take college classes to avoid conflicts and schedule problems.  This will become more important as we continue to add college class opportunities for our students during the day.  In addition, our students take finals before break while the material is still fresh in their minds.  It also provides ample time to end school before June.  A lot of families plan vacations and trip in early June and generally this will keep us from having school during this time.  Finally, since we end before break, it also keeps both semesters nearly even in length.

     The second thing I would like you to notice is the one hour early out that takes place nearly every Wednesday.  The district is working on improving our schools by focusing on a few important areas.  The big areas are effectively implementing technology in teacher's classrooms, making sure our curriculum is aligned with the Iowa Core Curriculum, and working to improve reading and math instruction in the district.  In order to make meaningful changes in these areas our teachers need time to learn and collaborate with each other.  Currently, we have approximately one two-hour late start each month for Professional Development.  Unfortunately, doing something only once a month does not work the best.  Teachers need time to try things in their classrooms and then they need time to get together to evaluate how did it went, what can I do better next time, what else do I need to learn?  These weekly one hour sessions will allow that regular time for teachers to collaborate to improve learning in our district.  I'm sure you have some concerns about this.

     First, I know this will create some daycare concerns for some of our younger students and I don't have an easy answer to this.  I'm hoping with the regular planning of these days it will make this easier.  I also know there are concerns about what older students will do between dismissal and the time athletic practices start.  At the high school, I have confidence the students will find something to do and be back in time for practice.  At the 7th and 8th grade level, we plan to have some para-educators available to provide a study table or other activities for students until their practices begin.  Dr. Updegraff has also talked about providing a study table during this time at the high school for students who are failing classes.  The other concern that comes to mind is will this infringe on instructional time in the classroom.  The answer to that is a foggy no.  First, the Iowa legislature is currently looking at legislation that will define a school year as 1,080 hours of instruction.  That means 1,080 hours of classroom time exclusive of Professional Development time and late starts for weather.  That is the time we are scheduled for this school year, but with the weather related late starts and early dismissals we will be a little short.  With the legislation currently being proposed, we would have to make up every two hour late start for weather and we cannot count these one hour early outs as school time.  So, we should see a little more or certainly no less instructional time with this new calendar.

    Finally, your feedback is important to the school board and myself.  In order to facilitate that process, I have created the feedback form below for your convenience.  This is a perfect opportunity for your voice to be heard in this calendar process.  Thanks for taking the time to be involved at New Hampton Community Schools.

Community Advisory Meeting February 18th

         I will be hosting a community advisory meeting on Monday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school auditorium.  This meeting is for anyone with an interest in the New Hampton Community School District.  It doesn't matter if you have children in the district or if you just live in the district and want to know what's going on with the school.  This is a great time to learn what's happening and also a great opportunity to give your feedback.  As I always point out, it the New Hampton Community School District.  It's neither my district nor the school board's district.  It belongs to the community and your feedback is vital to its successful operation.

        I'll be covering a variety of topics that evening, but I want you to know, I always try to keep my meetings to approximately one hour in length.  I will be glad to stay after the meeting to answer any additional questions or listen to any feedback anyone may have.  We'll be covering the following topics that evening:

1. District calendar for 2013-2014 school year
2. Potential changes in school schedules for next year
3. District Finances
4. Potential changes in programs/curriculum within the district
5. Update on technology in the district
6. Update on Elementary/Middle School Facility Study
1. Still looking for facilities committee members.  
7. Other Items of Interest

         Everyone in our community has an instrumental role in helping to make our district one of the best in the state.  Attending this meeting and providing your feedback is one way you can get involved.  Here's a sneak peek into a couple of the topics.  The district has invested $400,000 in technology so far this year.  Teachers are working hard to learn and use this technology in relevant meaningful ways in their classrooms.  This is a sizable investment, yet there is still more to do.  Technology has the power to change how we teach and more importantly how students learn.  It can open up the world to them and allow them to learn anytime they are ready both in school and out of school.  We are looking to expand technology use even more in the coming years.  We have kindergarten students who use technology nearly every day to help them learn phonics, I've seen it and it is impressive the way it helps them learn these beginning reading skills.  Every student is excited to participate and learn using our technology.  I don't know about you, but when I was in kindergarten, I was concerned with counting to 100 and tying my shoes.  I sure wasn't reading.  Are we heading in the right direction with technology use?  Should we be looking at 1:1 with our students?  Other thoughts on technology use.  

         The other area will be the discussion of our facilities.  The district has hired a consultant to help us evaluate all of our facilities and create a long-term facilities plan.  Our facilities committee will be meeting shortly to begin the process of creating our plan.  As I mentioned above, we are still looking for members to serve on this committee.  I will share a few thoughts on our elementary/middle school facility.  I know I have a lot of mixed feelings on where to go with the facility.  We will spend a lot of money in maintaining the facility in the coming years, but it is an adequate building.  If we had to, we could educate kids in trailers, sheds, storage units, or whatever; however, what does the community want for the facility that its children will be educated in?  That's the question to be answered.  Here's a picture of a classroom that is probably from the fifties.  

         This classroom didn't worry about technology use or collaboration or project based learning.  What we do in schools today is changing and we have to decide what do we want for our community's children.  

         Thanks for reading this far.  I hope to see you Monday night February 18th at the Middle School Auditorium at 7:00 to provide feedback on all of these topics.  

Inventions and Cold Weather

What a cold spell we are having.  It looks like warmer weather is on the way and I for one am looking forward to it.  At this point in time, I'm ready for a normal school week.  Last night I had the privilege of attending the Invention Fair that was sponsored by the Extended Learning students in Mrs. Burgart's program.  There were a lot of good ideas.  Here's a short video from the event.  I'm still learning iMovie on my IPAD, so continue to bear with me.



Thanks for stopping  by.

Winter Weather, Allowable Growth and other Interesting Things

     What a crazy week we've had.  Sunday night I woke up to the sounds of thunder, flashes of lightning and pouring rain.  Yesterday morning, I get up at 5 a.m. and I'm driving around thinking we must have missed the snow.  There wasn't much going on and we had been down-graded from a winter storm warning to an advisory.  Things can change quick.  It started snowing harder and we ended up with another snow day.  We had snow and wind yesterday and now this morning we are under a wind chill advisory.  Hopefully, we can have two normal days this week.

     You may have heard or seen in the news the discussion the legislature is having on something called allowable growth for schools.  You may have heard the Iowa senate approved a bill setting allowable growth at 4% for the coming year.  With all the discussion, I thought I would share a few things about allowable growth from a local perspective.

     First, "What is allowable growth?"  Allowable growth is the increase in the basic funding we receive to operate our school.  Part of this funding comes from the state and part of the funding comes from local property taxes.  In the bill that was approved by the senate, the state would fund nearly all of the increase so very little if any of the increase would come from local property taxes.

     Second, "What is allowable growth used for?"  A school, just like your home or business, has expenses.  Things like heat, fuel, electricity, supplies, textbooks, insurance, and salaries.  Rarely do any of these things go down and in most years they go up.  The allowable growth rate is an amount to help offset these increases that occur.  Some people believe that schools can just raise taxes when they want to in order to meet these needs.  That is simply not true.  There are certainly some areas where we have some control of our tax rates, but the majority is based on a formula established by the state.

     If you want to know more about the formula and how it works, please contact me directly and I can email some additional information, or I would be happy to meet with anyone to discuss it as well.  Here's some numbers you can think about.  If allowable growth is set at 2% our district will have less money next year then this year.  $55,431 less to be exact.  This is due to our declining enrollment.  If it is set at 4%, the district will receive an additional $19,049 for next year.  That means if all other expenses stayed the same and we receive 2% allowable growth, we still need to find a way to cut $55,431 from our budget for next year.  If we get 4%, then any increase in expenses above $19,049 will have to be offset by reductions in other places.  As mentioned above, we cannot raise taxes to make up these differences, we will have to reduce something to make up the difference.  Neither number is great, but you can see it does amount to a $74,480 difference for our district.

     One interesting point.  In a district with declining enrollment, the lower the allowable growth rate is set, the higher the impact will be on the local property tax rates.  In other words, if 0% allowable growth is set, local taxes will go up more then if it was set at 2, 3, or 4%.  It's hard to understand, but on a statewide basis if allowable growth is set at 0%, local property taxes will increase 50 million dollars across the state.   If it's set at 4% local property taxes will increase 42.4 million dollars across the state.  With the current plan proposed by the senate, local property taxes will increase by 3.4 million dollars.  I know this is hard to understand and Iowa School finance can be challenging, but this is the reality of the current formula that we have.  In New Hampton, using rough numbers, I believe we are talking a difference of approximately 20 cents per thousand if allowable growth is set at 0% instead of 4%. In other words, if allowable growth is set at 0% the school portion of local property taxes would be set at roughly 20 cents higher then if allowable growth was set at 4%.  

      From the school's perspective, we work hard to manage costs and provide the best education possible for our students.  They are worth it and I will work hard to make sure they receive it.  From a property tax perspective, 4% allowable growth will result in a lower local property tax rate compared to 0% allowable growth.  Whether you are concerned about helping the district do the best it can or if you are concerned about property taxes, the 4% rate makes the most sense.

     Thanks for bearing with me on this extra long post.  I know it can be confusing, but please contact me or stop in if you need additional information or have any questions.  As I repeatedly state in my community meetings "This is the New Hampton Community School District."  It's not mine or the board's district, it belongs to the community.  My goal is to make sure the entire community has a handle on what's going on.  Have a great week.

Third Grade Science Fair

On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the third grade science fair at the elementary/middle school cafeteria.  It was a lot of fun interacting with each of the students as they demonstrated and explained the various machines they had created.  Below is a short video I created from my visit.  It's nothing fancy, and it's my first attempt at video creation using my IPAD, so bear with me.

This is a great example of project based learning for our students.  As they explained their projects and I asked them questions about simple machines, it was clear that this activity has helped them gain a greater understanding of the material they were studying.  Thanks to Mrs. Hovey and Mrs. Reicks for undertaking this activity for the benefit of our students.  The kids learned a lot and they had a great time doing it.

Band Concert and Town Hall Meeting

What a great concert this evening that Ms. Staron and the middle school band students put on.  Knowing how hard everyone worked to prepare for this event, really makes me appreciate the performance that much more.  I also enjoyed the video tribute to the veterans that was presented as well.  If you haven't checked out the middle school band webpage and blog, I encourage you to check them out.  You can view the web page here and the blog here.

This Thursday night there will be a Town Hall Meeting with the Doctors.

They are planning an informative presentation talking about alcohol's effect on the developing brain of teenagers.  We all have assumptions, feelings, and beliefs on the issue, but there has been a lot more research on the teenage brain in recent years.  Please consider attending this meeting to hear what the latest research says.  It never hurts to listen.  I hope to see you there.  

It's Homecoming Week

I know it's been awhile since my last post, so I thought I had better get back at it.  What better time than homecoming week?  Lots of exciting things going on.  If you missed the parade, I created a short compilation video for your viewing pleasure.  It's only 40 seconds and just has some highlights.

Sorry about the corny music, I need to contact the music department for help in that area.

I want to congratulate Brady Tenge for being selected 2012 Homecoming King.  Good luck to the Queen candidates who will find out tonight who is the 2012 Homecoming Queen.  There have been a lot of activities this week connected to homecoming.  It's always good to see the kids at all levels get involved in promoting school spirit.  It was a lot of fun seeing how the students were dressed for each day's dress up days.  I also enjoyed the pep rally this afternoon.  It takes a lot to put on an event like this.  It was a lot of fun.  I especially enjoyed the videos that were shared.  Of course, tonight is the game and tomorrow night is the homecoming dance.  Please encourage your child to attend the school events and the dance tomorrow night. We know that students who attend and/or participate in school activities are more likely to enjoy school and do better while they are there.  Some would say these things are the best part.

My next community meeting will be October 11th at the high school cafeteria.  I hope to see you there.  We had a great turn out at the last meeting and hope to improve on it.  This is your opportunity to provide input into what's going on with the New Hampton School.  The school board and I are seeking the communities input on where to go on some key issues.  The one that has created the most buzz relates to our facilities.  One outcome of these meetings will be the creation of a facilities committee.  I've heard from  number of people already who want to be a part of it.  If you are interested in serving on this committee, please be sure to attend one of the meetings and/or get in touch with me.

If you ever have any questions or concerns about the New Hampton district, please contact me directly at anytime.  Thanks for stopping by.  Go Chickasaws!!

First Community Meeting

     I had my first community meeting this evening.  There was a great turn out with approximately 50 people in attendance.  If you didn't make it to this one, please consider coming to a future one.  I plan to hold several more meetings this semester.  We covered a lot of topics and I received some good feedback.  I will be compiling a list of the feedback and I will share detailed results some time next week.  Here's a small sampling of some things that we discussed.

    I asked them to think about and share some of the things that we do well in the New Hampton School District.  I heard about our athletic programs, fine arts programs, FFA program, 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., and other things.  I then asked them to share the following:  If we had to make cuts or changes in our district, what are the things that we shouldn't touch no matter how tough things get.  I heard about small class sizes in our elementary school, early intervention programs, variety of class options at the high school, and  more.  I then asked them to share things we could improve in the district.  I heard some things there as well.  When everyone arrived, they were given some Post-It notes and asked to write down their answers for each of these items.  As they left, they posted each of their answers on a sign with the question on it.  I have collected those and will be tallying them over the weekend.  I will share the results on the blog and also at the board meeting Monday night.

At this point, we began discussing the future vision for the district.  I shared some details on our facilities.  We've spent over $240,000 on the middle/elementary school this summer on tuck-pointing concrete work etc.  Basically to get the building sealed up.  During the completion of the work, we found a number of other issues.  Things like we will need to replace the roof on the 1913 building sometime in the next couple of years.  Also, there is additional tuck pointing that will be needed each year.  The contractor told me we would spend a million dollars or more on outside maintenance in the next 5 years.  In addition, we are planning to spend $300,000 to redo the bathrooms and entrance on the west side of the gym early next year.  As I've toured the building, I see that the bathrooms in the elementary building are the original ones from the 1950's when the building was built.  They need to be redone at a cost of $20 to $30,000 each.  The list goes on and on.  A question the board and I have is how much money do we continue to put into this  building?  Is it time to look at other options?  There is no doubt those options will be expensive and cost money--but should we look and see how much?  We'll continue to seek feedback at our next meeting, so if you have some thoughts, please attend the meeting or stop in to see me or send me your thoughts.

We also talked about technology and I heard a lot of feedback that we are behind in technology use in our district.  The question is always where do we go and how quickly?  As a former technology director I know it's imperative that we provide training and time for our teachers to learn about and implement technology use.  There is a big learning curve with technology and we have to spend the time and money to make sure they are prepared.  In the end it can change how we teach and how students learn.  However, the teacher is a key element in any technology initiative.  They will always be a key element in education.

I've displayed this video earlier in my blog, but it's worth sharing again.  I shared it during the meeting and used it as a discussion starter.

Thanks for stopping by.  As always if you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly.    

Lunch Update and Other Things

I've had some discussion with some of you on school lunch, and I want to say thanks for those of you who called or stopped in to talk.  Working together, we can find solutions to the concerns that come up.  Our school lunch program personnel have  been brainstorming and working hard to find solutions to the concerns that have been brought up while working within the rules of the National School Lunch Program.  Below, the top picture is what was for lunch today.  This is what was planned from the beginning of the year for high school students.  These are the same quantities high school students would receive.  The one below is what was served on Wednesday.  One note, in the upper right hand corner of today's lunch, those are fresh tomatoes and peppers from the FFA greenhouse.  They were really delicious--they were extra but available to all the students in the high school.

We are working to add some options and choices to our September menu to try to find things that more students will try and still meet the rules.  When you see the menu, you will notice it also includes the serving size and the total calorie count for the meal.  We will constantly monitor and work to prepare the healthiest lunches possible that will meet the needs of our students.  Please encourage your child to try some of these items, especially some of the vegetable items.  Working together, we can make this work.  If you have any concerns or suggestions about the school lunch program, please contact Jodi Hollister or myself.

I hope you will consider attending my first community meeting next Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school auditorium.  It will be a great chance to learn what's going on with the district and to also provide feedback on what direction the district should go in the future.  I will be posting some more thoughts on this over the weekend, so please check back often.  Thanks for stopping by.

School is Underway and Other Thoughts

It's been nearly two weeks since my last post.  It's been a busy but good start to the new school year.  Thanks to all the staff members, parents, and students for making this year the best ever.  There's been a lot going on.  One thing I've heard a lot about has been school lunches.  As I mentioned previously, there has been a change to the National School Lunch program.  This is not something that is only happening in New Hampton, but is happening in schools across the nation.  In the past, we didn't pay much attention to things like sodium content, what kind of vegetables we offered, fat content, and how many calories students consumed.  We now have to watch all of these things and more.  The biggest change that most have probably noticed is the size of the main entree.  High school students are limited to approximately 2 ounces of meat and/or meat alternative per day, or a total of 10 to 12 ounces per week.  students in grades K-8 need to have at least one ounce of meat/meat alternative each day or a total of 8 to 10 ounces a week.  As someone who has eaten and continues to eat school lunch, we used to get much more then that.  (I can think of some school lunches where I walked away stuffed--chili day with a huge cinnamon roll comes to mind).  Also, we are now placing more emphasis on fruits and vegetables including serving dark green and orange vegetables several times a week.

In the past, we saw the entree as the item to fill us up.  With the new standards, more reliance is placed on fruits and vegetables to help our children and ourselves eat healthier.  We are continuing to look at and experiment with a variety of fruits and vegetables to see what our students like best.  What can you do to help?  Please talk with your child about trying everything that is available for lunch.  Some of these things may be new to your child,  but rest assured it is a healthier choice.  I want to thank those parents who have contacted our food director or myself about this issue.  Working together is how we find ways to solve these issues when they arise.

On a different note, on September 6th I will be hosting my first community meeting.  It will be at 7 p.m. at the middle school auditorium.  I plan to hold several of these meetings during the coming months.  The purpose of these meetings is to allow me to gather input on the district and where we should go in the future.  In addition, I will be sharing a variety of information on the current status of the district.  Please invite a friend and plan on coming that night.  It doesn't matter if you have children in school or not, everyone has an interest in the future of the school.

If you ever have any concerns or questions about your child's class, school, or the district.  Please contact your child's teacher, school, or myself so we can work together to find the answer or a resolution to your concern.  Thanks for stopping by.

First Day Back for Teachers

Today was the first day back for all teachers in the New Hampton School District.  We started our day with breakfast in the middle school cafeteria.  Thanks to the members of the New Hampton Chamber of Commerce who served the meal for us.  It was also good to meet some of the staff from St. Joseph's School who attended the breakfast.  It was good to finally get the year off and started.  The teachers spent a large part of today in meetings and a little time getting their rooms ready for their students.  They're working hard learning the new policies and procedures for this year and also making sure that everything is just right in their classrooms for the students' first day.

Speaking of first days, I want to take a moment to talk about a few things.  First, please take time to talk with your child about safety when walking to and from school.  Make sure they know to cross at the cross walks and what they should do if they are approached by a stranger.  In addition, when you are dropping your child off at school, please take your time and make sure you are aware of all of the students in the immediate vicinity of where you are driving.  If you come upon a school bus, please be prepared to stop.  Remember, it's against the law in Iowa to pass a bus from the rear when it's AMBER lights are flashing.  In addition, if you come upon a bus from the front with it's AMBER lights flashing you should slow down to 20 mph and prepare to stop when the lights turn red.  Here's a website with more information.  Our student's safety is a primary concern of our district.

I also want to take a few moments to talk about some changes in the school lunch program this year. The National School Lunch Program has issued new guidelines that will affect every school that serves meals.  In a nutshell there will be a larger emphasis on fruits and vegetables and a smaller emphasis on other food groups.  Here's a picture of a school lunch tray to visually explain the new guidelines.

As you can see vegetables are now in the spot where we normally find the main item which was often a meat or protein item.  Notice those are now in one of the smallest spots on the tray.  This will be a change for your child, so please take some time to discuss this with them.  In addition, encourage them to try some of the new items that may be presented to them this year.  They may never know what they may like if they don't try it.  Here are several videos that further explain the new program.

Here's a video geared for students in Grades K-5

Here's a video geared for students in Grades 6-8

Here's a video geared for students in Grades 9-12

Here's a video designed to explain more to parents and other adults

If you have any questions on the school lunch program, please feel free to contact Jodi Hollister at the high school for more information.  The end result of all of this is to help our students make healthier choices related to food.  Enjoy the rest of your week, school will be here in a couple of days.