POINTS of PRIDE: Lone Tree School District

Lone Tree leaders - Mr. Stone & Mrs. Jacque

When visiting with Lone Tree School District leaders, their commitment to implementing standards with fidelity is strong.  They have had a strong elementary PBIS program (Positive Behavioral Intervention and  Supports) for 10-12 years which includes students earning Paw Prides as well as monthly assemblies to acknowledge school wide goals being met.  They have made the transition this year to Olweus in the middle and high school grades.  According to the Olweus website, "The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available.  With over 35 years of research and successful implementation all over the world, OBPP is a whole-school program that has been prove to prevent or reduce bullying throughout a school setting.  It is a program that include methods to reach out to parents and the community for involvement and support. It is designed to improve peer relations and make the school a safer and more positive place for students to learn and develop." This is a focus for the Lone Tree School District.

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS
District enrollment -500 (100 are open enrolled)
High school - approximately 145 with 65 in FFA (45% of the student body), 67 in Large Group Speech
Free & Reduced Lunch - 34%

FFA is an intercurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership providing a path to premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.  Its members are encouraged to develop their own unique talents and explore their interests in agricultural career pathways.  Mrs. Mahoney is the ag instructor as well
as the FFA advisor.  An ag instructor is someone with diverse instructional skills who meets a wide range of interests for those students lucky enough to enroll in the classes.  Mrs. Mahoney offers agronomy, ag communications, plant science, wood working and welding, ag statistics, and ag construction along with so much more.  In ag construction Lone Tree students have built a self-feeder.  As part of a cross-curricular project, the FFA built bag boards, the art class painted them, and FCCLA made the bean bags for the game.  Their "Green Out" game raised $1000 when both teams paid $10 to wear green t-shirts to benefit the organ donor network.  This organization also provided a half-time speaker with local families being showcased.

Another program sponsored by FFA is the "Cash for Cattle" program.  When they heard about South Dakota losing thousands of cattle in a blizzard, they made t-shirts to sell locally but once the word got out on Twitter and Facebook, orders came in from all over.  They raised over $7000 through the sale of over 800 shirts across the nation.  Their story was covered in the High Plains Journal and the FFA magazine NEW HORIZONS as well as the Farm Bureau Spokesman.  Their project won the Communication Service Award at the state.  Mrs.  Mahoney's students are also known for leading the first student workshop at state on building Sukop homes in Haiti where they built four houses in three days.  Ag education and FFA takes down the walls of a classroom and provides for performance-based assessment and authentic learning that impacts the world.

Another amazing teacher at Lone Tree is Tanya McCarty, a high school English teacher and speech coach.  Her teaching has been transformed by implementation of the Iowa Core standards.  She is involved in unpacking standards and using them for backwards design - beginning with what we want students to learn (the purpose) and breaking it down to the beginning steps.  A big focus is on close reading - teaching students how to analyze and how to support their ideas with evidence.  The depth of conversations and quality of writing have been improved by the focus on standards.  Ms. McCarty is involved in building a culture of literacy.  She started a book club with over 40 reading IF I STAY.  She also has a staff book club who read and discuss how to take topics back into the classroom.  They meet one time per month and after reading the book WONDER, they focused on the question, "What are we doing in our classrooms about students with special needs?" 

I had the honor of meeting Paige, Greg, and Lexi, students involved in the Olweus program and

working towards improving the culture of the school.  They talked about the community service day where students raked leaves, held a canned food drive, baked goodies and delivered them to the elderly, and visited nursing homes.  Every other Friday the middle school and high schools students meet by grades to discuss various topics related to bullying.  The biggest issues at Lone Tree are exclusion and rumors so these students and 7 teacher meet one to two times per month to develop plans for solving these issues. 

Mrs. Jacque, principal,  told about the amazing staff she works with.  She believes their strength lies in being focused on the students and doing what is best for them.  They are continuing to work toward using data to make instructional
changes.  At the elementary they use "walpole" as a source for phonics-based instructional strategies.  They have WIN time (What I Need) where every student gets an intervention - remedial or enriching.  The IXL Math and Language Arts program provides a consistent progression of skills reflecting Iowa Core standards through which students work.  This program provides detailed reports and students earn ribbons and certificates as they work their way through the prescribed skills.  

Superintendent Michael Reeves is appreciative of the hard work done by his staff, but he also knows there is more work to be done as they prepare students for the 21st Century. Kirkwood Community College provides PSEO classes and Lone Tree runs two ICN rooms for making post-secondary connections.  The high school also offers AP classes for students to earn post-secondary credit.  He is committed to early out Wednesdays to accommodate teacher work time in Professional Learning Communities.

The mission of Lone Tree School District is in partnership with the community to develop productive, life-long learners whose goals are academic, vocational, and social success.  As one looks across the district, it is easy to see that this mission is being brought to life through the partnership between the district and community as well as the partnership between teachers and students. In the words of Simon Mainwaring, "Creating a better world requires teamwork, partnerships, and collaboration, as we need an entire army of companies to work together to build a better world within the next few decades.  This means corporations must embrace the benefits of cooperating with one another."  This cooperation is evident across all areas of the Lone Tree District.

POINTS of PRIDE: Aplington-Parkersburg School District

If one were to visit the Aplington-Parkersburg School District, a scan of the area reveals a path of new houses.   Within that path lies a beautiful high school, all brought about by a community who understands the meaning of resilience. Quite simply, A-P stands as a testament to the word resilience - the ability and capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. In May 2008, an F-5 tornado about a mile wide wiped out a third of the city. It leveled the high school and left the football field in ruins. In less than two years after the tornado, students attended classes in a beautiful $19 million high school. Aplington-Parkersburg School District is all about partnerships - with the community, with the Cedar Valley West program, with Hawkeye Community College, and with the districts of Dike-New Hartford, Grundy Center, and Gladbrook-Rheinhart. 

My visit to the area began with lunch at a local icon - THE FALCON'S NEST.  It is a community hangout filled with photos honoring the A-P School District.  Even though  it was January, there was talk about football.  This area boasts four NFL players who graduated from here, quite an accomplishment for a small district.  A visit to this cafe made me look with excitement at what I would discover about A-P. 

DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment - 830
Free & Reduced Lunch - around 40%

A-P works hard to meet the diverse learning needs of its students.  There is a Falcon time at the end of the day which provides time to focus on 21st Century Skills. An Advisor-Advisee time is also built into the day where a teacher is assigned around 13 students to mentor.  As we know, relationships are critical to encourage students to stay in school and achieve to the best of their ability.  Next year will begin their 1:1 initiative with Chromebooks in grades 6-12.  In both the Middle School and High School, they are piloting AIW (Authentic Intellectual Work) as they closely examine implementation of Iowa Core and the enhancement of their Professional Learning Communities process.

A Point of Pride is the music department with 9 All Staters this year - 7 vocal and 2 instrumental.  There is a growing interest in the arts and theater.  The TAG program is expanding through participation in the Academic Decathlon.  In their first year 2014, they were a state qualifier.  Students also participate in Physics Olympics and the CyberPatriot competition.  According to the website, "CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program.  There are 3 main programs within Cyber Patriot:  the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, AFA CyberCamps, and the Elementary School School Cyber Education initiative.  CyberPatriot was conceived by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire high school students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future."  The building comes alive as students take ownership for their learning through technology.  A-P was also a national winner in the CSPAN video contest.  In high school students can take a web design class and next year there will be a high school Tech Club.  Other opportunities for students include a Fashion Design class where students design dresses, shoes, and accessories.  The FFA program is strong and includes soil fertilizer testing and access to a drone used to record football activities and golfing.  A big part of the drone program is discussion of what is ethical when recording activities, an important skill to learn in today's technology rich environment.  Many opportunities in this district for students to find their passion.

There is a strong partnership with Cedar Valley West led by Sherry Walker, the School to work Director for the four districts in the area.  This program provides career exploration through internships and job shadowing opportunities for juniors and seniors through an intermediary grant.  This program is handled through the community college, an outreach by Hawkeye Community College.  Each internship (for seniors only) is one trimester of high school credit with 40% of the internships turning into part time jobs.  The Cedar Valley West program averages 175-200 job shadows per year with each "shadow" consisting of one day for both juniors and seniors. 

Aaron Thomas & Sherry Walker, A-P leaders

Aaron Thomas, High School Principal, describes A-P as a district that is something special.  The community is highly involved and has a sense of pride while graduates from A-P tend to come back and help in the schools.  In Mr. Thomas's words, "When you empower young learners, it grows within them a sense of home and they become a part of the culture of the district."

There is a beautiful mural on the wall of Aplington-Parkersburg, serving as a tribute to Aaron's father, Ed Thomas, who was killed while working at a summer weight lifting program at A-P in 2009.  Ed Thomas was known as a man of integrity and character who helped rebuild the community after the tornado. He also was a successful football coach and the football field is named the Ed Thomas field.  His story is found in the book SACRED ACRE.  On the hallway mural as well as on a plaque by the field are Ed's words:  "If all I taught you is how to block and tackle, then I have failed as a coach."  

There is no failing at Aplington-Parkersburg as they prepare students to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.  They are building a strong culture of achievement in all areas, not just sports, and their example of resilience sends a message to everyone.  In the words of Nelson Mandela, "The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall."

POINTS of PRIDE: Charles City School District

Leadership Team at Charles City School District

"It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it's the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time."  (David Allan Coe)

The leadership team for Charles City is strong on building a learning foundation in their district to withstand the test of time.  This is an exciting time for Charles City School District as they prepare to build a new middle school on the high school campus for Grade 5-8.  The new facility will provide a flexible design to allow for different configurations based on student needs and instruction.  It will employ a 21st Century design and provide an opportunity for both buildings to work collaboratively.  With a focus on project-based learning, the new design will continue the tradition of excellence established by the Charles City School District.

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS:

Certified Enrollment: 1,542

English Language Learners: 2.65%

Free & Reduced Lunch: 52.9

Other information:

• 30+ - number of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities CCHS students have the opportunity to participate in

- 3.2 – average GPA earned of students who are involved in an activity

- < 8 number of days these students miss from school each year

Buildings:

2 Elementary Schools

1 - Early Learning, Transitional Kindergarten, K-5

1- K - 5 

1 Middle School grades 6-6

1 High School grade 9 - 12

1 Alternative High School

Charles City Schools are committed to continuous improvement as evidenced by their work with consultants on the implementation of Iowa Core standards.  The consultants work with both teachers and administrators 1 - 2 times a week.  Each elementary building has two classrooms designated as labs for the implementation of Iowa Core standards-based teaching.  They are working on the implementation followed by full school implementation in the future. The largest shift in this instruction is the emphasis on discovery learning of strategies to solve problems and the use of manipulatives to engage learning.  

The building of learning foundation begins in the Transitional Kindergarten, a new program to provide an additional year for young kindergarteners to prepare for school.  This program works on social skills but also develops stamina to form a solid foundation for success in school.  Exploration is emphasized providing a time to explore and discover while building vocabulary skills.

Charles City High School has a tradition of excellence especially with its music and art departments.  78% of their high school students are involved in at least one extra-curricular activity.  The Family Consumer Science class has "Comet Cafe" once a month, providing a restaurant-style food service.  Both German and Spanish are available.  The Spirit is the school newspaper that is student led.

To meet student learning needs and accommodate band lessons, WIN Time is held at elementary.  At high school Comet Time occurs in the middle of the day, and it occurs at the end of the day in middle school.  Some classes offer SMART lunch which provides students an opportunity to bring in their lunch into a class for remediation or extensions to enhance learning opportunities for all students. 

A Point of Pride for this district is their communication with the community.  With Facebook, Twitter, You Tube videos, and weekly podcasting, the community stays informed about what is happening in the schools.  Communications Director Justin Devore provides consistency in reporting for public relations and is committed to showcasing the great things happening in this district.  The Foster Grandparent Program provides additional community support for students.
 
Project based learning is beginning in this district and great opportunities are taking place.  In 7th grade science, students take the Lexus Eco Challenge, preparing projects that focus on nature.  In English class, students take a literature theme and connect it to their lifestyle while choosing the speaking and listening standards they will show mastery of through their final project.  With questions to research such as, "As a crusader for human rights, what solution can you find to remedy the human inequality you see today?", students are learning real-world connections and learning to be the future problem-solvers in our world.  Great things await the students in the Charles City School District!

#LoveTeaching

This is why I #Love Teaching...by Jane Schmidt

A teacher knows he or she will never be rich 

according to the way our world defines rich, 

but we are teachers.  

We create, 

we innovate, 

we inspire, 

we define 

and our definition of rich is not manifested in a number.  

Our definition of rich is residing in a heart, 

the heart of the student we encouraged, 

the heart of the student we challenged, 

the heart of the student we did not allow to simply "get by."   

It resides in our own hearts, 

rich with satisfaction 

because we know the secret of what true wealth is 

and it is not in a ledger, 

it is not in a percentage, 

it is not on a bubble sheet or in our pockets.  

We carry our wealth in the value of what we do each day 

and that is teach. 

POINTS of PRIDE: Osage Community School District

Leaders: Tim Hejhal (MS/HS), Steve Bass (Superintendent), Greg Adams (Elem)

According to the Osage website, the mission of the Osage Community School is to sustain and enhance a caring community to produce enthusiasm for life-long learning.  That mission is grounded in the belief that children's motivation is based on high expectations, on the desire of children to be challenged, and on adults' ability to model high expectations.

District Demographics
Enrollment:  930
Free and Reduced Lunch:  31%
Two elementary schools:  Lincoln (K-3) and Washington (Grades 4-5)
One middle school/high school:  Grades 6-12

This is Osage's first year in the 1:1 initiative with iPads for grades K-3 and Chromebooks grades 4-12.  The main focus of professional learning is technology integration.  A unique twist to professional learning in the area of technology is Osage's use of Google Apps Ninja Master program.  In order to earn the title of Google Apps Ninja Master, teachers must accurately complete (with 80% or better)  ninja exams in the areas of Search, Sites, GMail, Drive, and Calendars.  As teachers work through each level, they earn a white belt, green belt, black belt, with the final test being that of ninja master. 

Osage is committed to excellence in academics as evidenced by the fact that last year they were on the watch list in 7 areas and this year they have been removed from the list.  They use a Positive Behavior Intervention System called PRIDE and are focused on implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) by providing interventions during WIN (What I Need) time held every other day.

They describe the partnerships they have as extraordinary.  Osage is in a "super conference" with 18 other schools creating an opportunity for Conference Professional Learning Communities that meet three times per year.  They organize a Conference Special Olympics competition, have content area meetings, and share resources in art and music.

High school students have opportunities for concurrent college classes and experience at least one online class before they graduate.  A discussion about Osage School District includes a look at economic growth in the area.  Osage is a thriving community with many young entrepreneurs. There was a phenomenal joint effort by several community groups that raised over $20 million dollars to build a YMCA with an indoor pool and auditorium.   Built in 2011, Valent BioScience is located in Osage and is the largest corporation tied into Japan in Iowa.  It boasts a $150 million dollar plant and is the largest purpose-built biorational product facility in the world.  According to its website, "the Osage Plant was built to accommodate the significant growth of VBC and demand for its products around the world. Osage will supply the majority of VBC products derived from fermentation using locally grown raw materials such as corn and soybeans. VBC’s product portfolio includes microbial products for agriculture, public health, and forestry as well as plant growth regulators for use in high value and row crops."  With a large corporation adding to the economic growth in Osage, the possibilities for partnerships are endless.

In addition to its traditional academics, Osage offers course work in food preparation and culinary arts with an emphasis on owing your own business.  They offer Pro Start 1 and 2 which employ electronic textbooks and has a focus on restaurant management and culinary arts.  Also offered are welding and industrial technology, hands on courses to meet the learning interests of all students.

A person cannot write about Osage without mentioning its wonderful wrestling tradition.  Osage has a proud tradition of excellence in wrestling.  This year for the 33rd time in 43 years of North Iowa Conference tournaments, the Green Devils were on top, finishing with five champions and 224 points, 40 clear of second-place.  In the words of wrestling great Dan Gable, "More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride.  Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride."  Osage has much of which to be proud!  Traditions are alive and well!

POINTS of PRIDE: Howard-Winneshiek School District

Young entrepreneur with 3D printer

The mission of the Howard-Winneshiek School District is to prepare and empower students to:

• Think creatively
• Serve
• Contribute
• Succeed locally and globally

It does not take long to visit with John Carver, superintendent of the Howard-Winneshiek Community School District, before realizing he is a visionary when it comes to encouraging entrepreneurship within multiple facets of his school district.  From transportation reps who are piloting the use of propane powered buses to recycling motor oil to heat the bus barn to award winning food services to a high school student who has started his own instructional site on how to use VREP,  "out of the box" thinking is encouraged and valued.   Mr. Carver talks about the "Innovation Zone Confederation" which reaches a 28 mile circumference around Cresco, and as co-chair of the Governor's Broadband Committee, John is committed to the precept that "no longer will a child's zip code determine his/her instruction." He talks about future classrooms being 30 students - 20 physical and 10 virtual, with the goal that when a student walks across the stage, s/he has marketable skills.

Classrooms environments are varied.  The elementary classrooms have flexible learning spaces and each class is uniquely different from the other.  Teachers are encouraged to design their own learning spaces with assorted desk heights, varied configurations, comfortable couches, and soft chairs.  Exploration is encouraged, and the library is referred to as the Discovery Zone.  They are a pilot for competency-based literacy.

Crestwood High School is no stranger to entrepreneurship.  Norm Borlaugh, Nobel Prize winner, graduated from Crestwood High School.  Borlaugh is credited with feeding billions of people during the 20th Century by pioneering a drought resistant wheat.  That spirit remains alive in Cresco.  They have a VREP partnership with Rockwell Collins.

Howard-Winneshiek is proud of its commitment to reaching beyond the classroom.  This photo shows a world map of schools with whom the Howard-Winneshiek CSD staff have connected as well as schools who have visited the school district or schools that will be partnering with the school district, all via technology. 

Mr. Carver uses the military concept of OODA (Orientation-Observation-Decision-Action)  when teams make decisions, and he refers to the 1:1 initiative as being in its second year of deployment.   Technology integration is a major focus in this school district with PreK-6 having iPads and grades 7-12 using MacBook Airs.

Erin Daley, NEICC, and John Carver

Howard-Winneshiek School District has a strong partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College where 150 high school students attend classes in a variety of areas including a Youth Career Connect Program.    They are transitioning to an Advanced Manufacturing Center.  They offer Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Robotic Welding Training as well as training to be a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant).  Students also can travel to Calmar for Auto Lab.  2020 GOAL:  All students recruited and employed!

Mr. Carver is one who strives to design a new DNA for learning.  He has a goal of transforming teaching and learning and firmly believes we are in a "printing press" moment in the history of education as technology catapults us forward through the "looking glass," a great metaphor as we see the changes that technology has brought to our world and the impact it will have on the future and the lives of our students.

POINTS of PRIDE: Greene County Elementary School

Leadership Team at Greene County with Principal Scott Johnson

Proud Kindergarten Student

Greene County Elementary School is located in Jefferson, Iowa, led enthusiastically by Principal Scott Johnson along with the help of a very capable leadership team provided by the Teacher Leadership and Compensation grant as well as a reading interventionist.  In Mr. Johnson’s words, “We are a bucket-filling school where positive behaviors are encouraged and supported.”  According to the Greene County Community Schools website, “the mission of their schools in partnership with their communities is to provide all students with the foundation for lifelong learning built by developing individual and social responsibilities of students, encouraging them to make productive use of time, technology, and resources, actively engaging them through diverse instructional strategies, and encouraging them to be critical thinkers.”

TAG showcase of projects

The TLC grant has enabled Greene County Elementary School to have one full time and a part time instructional coach.  The focus for this year has been moving teachers towards common formative assessments and the identification of anchor skills.  Their model classrooms allow for observations but also include a reflection time, a key component necessary for others to take what is learned and apply it to their own classrooms.  Building consistency in Professional Learning Communities began with a large group traveling to Minnesota last summer for training.  Every Wednesday there is an early out and PLCs meet weekly for a minimum of one hour.  Additional meetings are held with grade levels for a minimum of one hour weekly to address grade level concerns. 

Demographics:

Enrollment – 450, grades PreK-3

Free and Reduced Lunch – 54%

Kindergarten teacher Ann Ostendorf

Developing reading habits

The Daily Five (C.A.F.E.) is used to frame classroom instruction across the building.  According to its website, “the Daily Five is a framework for structuring literacy time so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently.”  This framework “enables teachers to choose individualized goals, assign strategies, monitor progress, and provide just-in-time instruction to meet the needs of every student.” There is also the Math Daily 3 that is a “framework for structuring math time so students develop deep conceptual understanding and mathematical proficiency.” It allows student choice including “Math by Myself, Math Writing, and Math with Someone.”   This framework assists teachers in “producing highly engaged students who develop a love of math.” (2015)  At Greene County Elementary, their math program is Everyday Math and just-in-time interventions are provided on a consistent basis to move students forward in their learning journey.

Greene County Elementary is focused on continuous improvement as evidenced by book studies on MINDSET and THE ART OF COACHING.  A district goal is differentiation and the focus is always on growing as effective educators.  With a strong Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant, their school is moving forward in the development of critical thinkers prepared for the 21^st Century.

REFERENCES:

Greene County Community School District - http://www.jefferson-

scranton.k12.ia.us/pages/GCCSD/Design_Resources/Our_Mission473

THE DAILY FIVE - https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5 (from 2015 THE DAILY

CAFÉ)

MATH DAILY 3 - https://www.thedailycafe.com/math-daily-3 (from 2015 THE

DAILY CAFÉ)