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!