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June 2012

Vol. VII | Issue 9

That’s A Wrap!

Wrapping up the Wrapping up the Wrapping up the Wrapping up the

2011/2012 school Year2011/2012 school Year2011/2012 school Year2011/2012 school Year

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Dear Parents:

Where did this school year go? It seems like just a few short

weeks ago that students were entering ERMS for the beginning

of the school year. Now, we are at the end. To me, it has been a

very eventful and productive school year.

With the close of the school year, we bid farewell to the

eighth grade class. As a class, they have provided strong

leadership and have set high standards of performance for the

incoming eighth grade class to achieve. We wish them well as

they proceed to high school.

The end of the school year also brings to a close the teaching

careers of Mrs. Susan Albrecht, Mrs. Dee Biedermann, Mrs. Zo

Landis, Mrs. Nancy Neumeister, and Ms. Judy Portzen. They are

retiring. Business manager/principal’s secretary Mrs. Robin

Shultz will be leaving our staff to assume an administrative

assistant position at the district level office. Good luck to all and

our hope is that they have new and rewarding experiences in

their new pursuits.

Students, enjoy the summer and do not be a stranger to

reading and learning. Parents, please find ways for your children

to develop their talents and interests. Summer experiences can

be great learning opportunities.

In just a dozen weeks we will be starting our next school year

with many hopes and dreams of the days ahead. Sincerely,

Mr. Dale Lass

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SAFE ZONE

This school is free of harassment, bullying, and

discrimina�on!

We’re safe here! An�-Harassment/Bullying/Discrimina�on

Assurance Statement

Any form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination can be devastating to an

individual. Therefore, the Dubuque Community School District will not tolerate

harassment, bullying, or discrimination based upon a trait or characteristic of a

student, staff member, volunteer, or applicant for employment including, but not

limited to, age, ancestry, color, creed, familial status, gender identity, marital status,

national origin, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, political

belief, political party preference, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or

socioeconomic status. The school district requires all agencies, vendors, contractors,

and other persons and organizations doing business with or performing services for

the school district to subscribe to all applicable federal and state laws, executive

orders, rules and regulations pertaining to contract compliance and equal opportunity.

School Board Policies

#1001/#1005

Any person having inquiries about this statement or the district’s compliance with

regulations implementing Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 or Iowa Code

Section 280.3 is directed to contact:

The Forum

2300 Chaney Road

Dubuque, Iowa 52001

(563) 552-3000

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These students have all been recognized by their instructors for their exemplary

conduct and hard work in and out of the classroom.

House 6-1 nominates Taylor Walsh as the Raptor Rave of the

month. We love having Taylor in class as she is ready, respec#ul

and responsible and deserves to be recognized as a good role

model for others. Way to go Taylor!

Garre� Knowles is House 6-2’s Raptor Rave for this month.

Garre) is a responsible student who will ask for help when it is

needed and offers help to others who need it. Students and

teachers appreciate his posi.ve a/tude. When it comes to

the 3-Rs, Garre) is an excellent role model.

House 6-3 would like to nominate Addison Aronson as

our Raptor Rave. Addison is very focused in class and works

well with others. His is very conscious of his daily effort and he

is a role model for others with his daily behavior.

7-1 teachers have chosen Shruthi Ravikumar for May's Raptor

Rave! Shruthi is very dedicated to her educa.on and always put

forth 100% in everything she does. She shows kindness to

everyone and is willing to help others in all situa.ons. Her smile

and enthusiasm is very contagious and we are so happy to have

you in our house!

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House 7-2 would like to recognize Will Wehrspann for this

month's Raptor Rave. Will is a kind and caring individual and

is always willing to help others. He has been a true leader

this year and is a great tour guide for new students at

Roosevelt.

House 8-1 - Alex Pape

Always hard working, and ever responsible, House 8-1 is

please to recognize Alex Pape as its Raptor Rave. Diligent,

engaged, respec#ul and helpful are just a few ways to iden.-

fy Alex's approach to the school day, each and every

day. Congratula.ons, Alex!

House 8-2 nominates Michael Cielsielski for our May Raptor

Rave. Michael is always polite and comes to class with a big

smile on his face. He is full of energy and we look forward to

seeing him every day in our class. Michael is kind and

courteous to all of his classmates. Michael definitely

exemplifies the 3 R’s of respec#ul, responsible, and ready

every day here at Roosevelt.

House 8-3 is pleased to name Gabe ILIE as our Raptor

Rave! Gabe has worked so hard this year to improve his

grades, his work habits, and his study skills. His hard work

has paid off and he's made us proud. Way to go Gabe!

House 7-3 would like to recognize Bri�any Koontz for this

month's Raptor Rave. The year is drawing to an end and

Bri)any con.nues represent the 3 R's for house 7-3. We

can always count on her to be respec#ul, responsible and

ready.

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2012 SPRING BOWL COMPETITION

Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School students have

been active in academic bowl competition this

spring. On Saturday April 21st a team of four

students participated in the Western Dubuque Quiz

Bowl held at Farley Intermediate School in Farley,

Iowa. Our team of Anthony Canganelli, Charles

Johnson, Riley Nemec , and Alice Tsui competed in

this wide ranging and fast paced tournament to test

the student’s knowledge with questions in subjects such as music, history, sports, science,

and mathematics. The team finished with a 5-1 record being beaten by the eventual

champion Dyersville Beckman by only 20 points. The team finished in fourth place only

20 points out of third place. The team was very competitive and fun to watch as their

knowledge was tested against all the stiff competition they had. Good Job Raptors!!!

On April 28th, two teams of students from Roosevelt

competed in the first ever Dubuque Community

School District Middle School Science Bowl

Tournament held at Eleanor Roosevelt. Twelve teams

from the Tri-State Area came together to be tested and

challenged in their science knowledge. The

competition was divided into two parts. The

University of Northern Iowa’s Center for

Environmental and Energy Education provided a wind

turbine competition that challenged the students to construct a wind turbine that would

produce the most electrical current in one of two categories. The other part of the

competition challenged their academic prowess in a bowl competition setting with

science questions from the middle school level. Students had two hours to build the

turbine and they had five rounds of questions. Our teams did very well in the turbine

competition finishing 1st in one category and 2nd in the other. To determine the overall

champion, the academic score and the turbine competition were combined to give the

winner. Eleanor Roosevelt took home the first place

trophy and was the overall champion. The members of

both teams: Dorothy Anderson, Justin Blum, Justin Else,

Brandon Jenkins, Cody Krause, Ethan Kueter, Aaron

Locher, James Mihalakis, Drake Oswald, and Brandon

Sindt represented Eleanor Roosevelt in an outstanding

manner and brought home the gold for the day.

Great teamwork Raptors!!!

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TRIPLE AAA CLUB

ENDING YEAR

ACTIVITIES

Triple AAA Club has been busy

with year ending activities at

Roosevelt. On Friday May 4th, they

attended a Loras College

Planetarium presentation on

Constellations of the Night Sky.

Members learned how to locate and

identify some of the 88

constellations in our night sky.

After the presentation, Dr. Ken

McGlaughlin showed the students

the star machine used in the

presentation that evening and how it

works.

On Saturday May 5th, members in

cooperation with the Young Eagle

program of the EAA (Experimental

Aviation Association) were given

free half hour airplane rides around

the city of Dubuque. The rides were

given by member pilots in single

engine Cessna airplanes. Members

are also building multi-stage rockets

to be launched on May 29th at

Roosevelt. Students from Thomas

Jefferson Middle School have joined

us in this activity at Roosevelt.

A very busy month of May for the

members is being experienced.

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4./

A00123 DCSD S4325 C25 S6570. R289:

Sixth Graders from across the Dubuque Community

School District met on Friday May 4th at the beautiful

Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School Speedway to compete

in their annual solar car competition. Students from

Thomas Jefferson Middle School, George Washington

Middle School, and our own Eleanor Roosevelt Middle

School met in double elimination race competition to see

who had the fastest solar cars in the district. The cars

are provided by the University of Northern Iowa’s

Center for Environmental and Energy Education as an

opportunity for students to learn about how solar power

is a viable means of energy for our society’s energy

needs. The cars are powered by photovoltaic energy

cells, which are being used in our world to be an

alternative energy source. Student built and raced the

cars in their home schools and the top cars from each of

the schools came to Roosevelt for the competition.

House 6-2’s Caleb Melde and Lucas Kelchen had the

first place winning car. House 6-2 ‘s Brandan Avenarius

and David Miner came in at a fourth place finish. House

6-3’s Amber Hillery and Emmie Rheingans brought in

sixth place finish. Great job Raptors !!! We may have

future NASCAR drivers in this group. !!!

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HOUSE 6-2 INVADES SWISS VALLEY

On May 17th, House 6-2 did field work at the Swiss Valley

Nature Center. The theme for the day was environmental

awareness and conservation of natural resources. Students

were able to rotate through five classes taught by the

Dubuque County Conservation staff and House 6-2

teachers. Their service project for the day was to pull garlic

mustard one of the most evasive weeds to be found in the

North American forest ecosystem. It has spread and choked

out much of the forest floor of the native plants that have

been here for years. We also had Mr. David Carnahan a

former teacher and IOWATER volunteer who showed the

students some of the tests he has done for the Iowa

Department of Natural Resources to monitor Iowa water

quality. Mr. Dolan and Mr. Bob Walton did water quality

tests of the Catfish Creek. Mr. Walton looked for

organisms whose presence in the creek indicated the quality

of the water. Mr. Dolan did checks of the water for nitrates,

phosphates, pH, and oxygen to show how healthy the creek

was.

Other activities included in language arts, the introduction

by Mr. Gross of some appropriate environmental novels that

students could read. Mr. Smith and Ms. Putchio did

cooperation games to show the importance of us all working

together to meet the challenges that we face in conserving

our natural resources. Mrs. Tiefel used her expertise in

math to show the importance of good math skills to work

hand in hand with science in the field of conservation. Mrs.

Reeves did a jeopardy game to assess students

understanding of their natural world. Classes in GPS and

caching were taught to show how we can use the natural

world for recreation. A prairie class was also held to show

the importance of the prairie to the development of Iowa’s

ecosystem.

Students were tired after their day, but most felt they had a

better understanding of conservation practices that will be

needed to protect our precious natural resources.

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It is hard to believe the end of the

year is here! It has been such an

exciting time here, I have truly

enjoyed being a Roosevelt

Raptor! This group of 6th graders

have come a long way from that

first day when we tried to get

into lockers and through the halls

to their classes with strangers to

knowing their way around this

school and making new, close

friends!

I hope summer is enjoyable and I

look forward to seeing them as

7th graders!!!

Kindness matters, Mrs. Glennon

Summer is Here

Ever Wished for a Kindle or Nook?

Well, thanks to Keystone AEA,

students and staff have access to

over 500 secondary eBooks on any

computer or laptop! And they can

access more titles if they read books

from the elementary collection!

Students can check out 2 books for 2

weeks!

Want to see how it works? Ask your

student to demonstrate downloading

books to their computer or reading

online using their own usernames

and passwords. Each student should

have a direction sheet to set up the

computer so it works with eBooks,

for instance you must allow pop-ups.

If students lost the sheet or need

their usernames and passwords

again, just see Mrs. Pisarik in the

Media Center for extras!

Have a Great Summer!!

Happy summer reading!

Mrs. Pisarik

Report cards will be mailed home

during the week of June 5.

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ERMS Contacts

Main Office: 552-5000

Principal, Mr. Dale Lass

Business Manager/Principal’s Secretary, Mrs. Robin Shultz

Receptionist, Mrs. Julie Banigan

Ac�vi�es Office: 552-5010

Athletic Director/Assistant Principal, Mr. Jeff Johll

Activities/Assistant Principals Secretary, Mrs. Polly Fleming

A�endance Office: 552-5012

Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kelly Molony

Attendance/Assistant Principals Secretary, Mrs. Denise Durant

Health Office: 552-5016

Nurse, Mrs. Joanie Heitzman

Health Para-professional, Mrs. Davida McNamara

Guidance Office: 552-5013

Guidance Counselor s

Mrs. Amy Glennon

Mr. Mike Cosgrove

Mr. Dan Powers

Records/Counselors Secretary, Mrs. Nancy Weiss

DCSD Anonymous Tip Line: 552-3075

The Roosevelt Report is sponsored by the ERMS Parent Teacher Organization and the ERMS Staff. In future issues we hope to bring you important information about events and activities at ERMS. If you have any suggestions or comments about the newsletter, please contact any of the following:

Mike Lenstra, Editor Robin Shultz, ERMS Secretary/Business Manager 583-9932; erms_news@yahoo.com 552-5003; rshultz@dubuque.k12.ia.us

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POSITION NAME PHONE

President Anne)e Lucy 585-1300

mrlucy@aol.com

Vice President TBD

Vice President TBD

Treasurer TBD

Recording Secretary Laura Oberfoell 582-2017

loberfoell@dubuque.k12.ia.us

Corresponding Secretary Mary Fink 556-3214

mbfink1@mchsi.com

Dance Commi)ee Cherri-Lynn Watson 513-4295

watsongro)o@mchsi.com

Spirit Wear Vicki Pfab

Hospitality TBD

FAME Booster TBD

Yearbook Kirsten Pope 543-0935

kpope7772011@yahoo.com

2012/13 PTO Board Members

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IMPORTANT SUMMER DATES

Labor Day will be here before we know it!! And with that in

mind, I would

like to remind you of the dates for the summer of ’12

Marching Band Camp

so they may be put on your family calendar.

Band Camp is required for all incoming 7th and 8th grade

band students

Please do the band program one large favor. Please spread

the word about

band camp!

I try to get accurate dates out ASAP! Since the DCSD does not have their

summer dates set yet, there is a chance that some of the following times

may have to be adjusted. I will do my best to give you as much notice as

possible. (There is not any registration for band camp. Just show up!)

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August 6, 7

9:00 to 10:30 – flags report to the ERMS Band Room

10:45 to 12:15 – percussion students report to the ERMS Band Room

August 8, 9, 10

9:00 to 12:00 – ALL flags AND percussion report to the band room

9:30 to 12:00 ‐ ALL wind players (wind players are all woodwinds AND

brass instruments) report to the ERMS Band Room.

*On August 8 all students who need a school issued instrument should

report to the band room at 8:15.

August 13

9:00 to 12:00 – Full Marching Band Practice

August 14

9:30 to 12:30 ‐ Full Marching Band Practice!

August 15

12:00 to 3:00 ‐ Full Marching Band Practice!

August 16

10:00 to 12:30 ‐ Full Marching Band Practice!

August 17

9:00 to 12:00 ‐ Full Marching Band Practice

12:00 – Concert/Informance for all families and friends of the ERMS

Marching Band (Bring your video cameras!!!!)

September 3

Labor Day Parade!! A.M. report time to Jackson Park

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CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE

2011/2012 SCHOOL YEAR

• Purchased New Flags for the

Crossing Guards

• Athletic shorts for the sports

teams was approved for

purchase.

• Brought in motivational

speaker Adrian Brambilia

• Paid for and had overhead

projectors installed in

classrooms

• Funded prize give aways for

the Positive Behavior Support

Program

• Purchased and had window

treatments installed in the

cafeteria

• Funded field trips for the

science class

• Invited DCSD Interim IT

director David Cagagil to our

PTO meeting to air our

concerns about the direction of

• Purchased 10 i-pads for

our students & faculty

• Provided lunch for the staff

during Parent-Teacher-

Student Conferences and

Teacher Appreciation

Week

• Purchased “Flip” Camera

for the LRC

• Produced and staffed all of

the school dances

• Co-produced the FAME

production The Jungle

Book

• Provided food and drink for

the cast party

• Purchased compost bins

for the Sierra Society

• Acquired Display Cases

for the PBIS program

• Other classroom purchases—Periodic Tables for the Science

Classes—Geometric Solid sets—Balance Discs—Smartview

Software—Apps and adapters for the i-pads

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SPECIAL GUEST

Local icon and play-by-play man for the Iowa

Hawkeyes was a guest in our RTV Studios in

May. Here he is joined by our own Assistant

Principal Kelly Molony—an Iowa State fan—

just to keep the balance :-)

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LET’S TALK TRASH

House 8-1 went to the Dubuque Metropolitan Landfill Wednesday

May 10th. Students went to learn more about where their garbage

goes. They also discussed energy sources in the landfill.

Let’s see what Olivia Till and Sam Schrobilgen thought of the trip:

What was the most interesting part of your

trip Olivia?

“The recycling.”

What did you learn Olivia?

“That garbage never goes away.”

What was the most interesting part of your

trip Sam?

“The methane burner.” (Try to find the

burner in the pictures.)

What did you learn Sam?

“They had to weigh everything when they entered and left the land-

fill. Like the trucks.”

A grant from the ERMS PTO funded the buses for this trip.

Thank you PTO for supporting this opportunity to learn outside the

classroom.

The PowerSchool Parent Portal will be

inactive from Friday, June 1 through

mid August.

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“Off to summer vacation!

See you next year!”

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TAKE CHARGE OF EDUCATION

Dou you shop at Target? Did you know there is an easy

way for your purchases to benefit ERMS? All you have to

do is use your Target Visa or Target Card and we will

receive a percentage of the amount of each purchase in

the form of a cash donation from Target through the

Take Charge of Education® program. Just visit

target.com/tcoe or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate our

school.

Search the web and shop with

www.goodsearch.com and money from

Yahoo adver.sers and retailers will go

to ELEANOR ROOSEVELT MIDDLE

SCHOOL without you spending an extra

dime! Start your holiday GOODSHOP

shopping now and our school will

benefit! Go to www.goodsearch.com,

search for Roosevelt Middle School,

select our school in Dubuque, IA and

surf or shop.

It’s easy, safe and helpful!

EBLYONS

Nature Center

Thank You to these fine

businesses who have been

so supportive to us this

year. You have helped

enrich our school . . . .

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“And so it has come to this.” Those were the beginning words of legendary Tonight Show

host Johnny Carson’s final monologue as he prepared to end his 30 year career. And every

time I reach a milestone or the end of something those words come back to me. So here

goes:

And so it has come to this. We’re ready to put a lid on school year number seven here at

Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School. Some of the newness of the building has now faded but

I believe that has been replaced by a sense of pride for all that we are now accomplishing

(see PTO Contributions, School of Champions, page 16/17). These achievements could

not have been made without a strong collaboration between teachers, administrators,

students and parents. If space permitted I’d like to list all of those parents and guardians

who have given so much of their time and talents this past year but since it doesn’t I

would like to single out some key contributors that are moving on.

To Jane Rife, our Spirit Wear coordinator for the past four years, thanks for everything

you have done for ERMS. Your creative ideas were great. To Kelly Wollmuth, the

Treasurer of our PTO for the past two years, thanks for being so efficient and so easy to

work with. And even though they will continue to be part of the ERMS family at least for

a little longer Deanne Johll (Hospitality) and Beth Weiland (PTO VP, FAME) will be

taking on other tasks in life but know that Roosevelt Middle School is a better place

because of your contributions.

As for me this caps a three year run as your PTO President. Looking back and seeing all

that we have succeeded in doing, from the four way stop at Radford and Pennsylvania, to

the scoreboard on the football field, the sound system in the gym and the new technology

in the classrooms just to name but a few, tells me that we weren’t just marking time, we

were making a difference. I’m excited to hand over the reins to Annette Lucy, who will

be your new President, and some other new board members. I know they will keep the

tradition going.

And finally I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out to Robin Shultz who has been

my partner in this, The Roosevelt Report, for the last four years. I will miss you. We’ll

have to buy a new pair of shoes because yours cannot be filled.

Have a great summer

Michael J. Lenstra

ERMS Newsletter Editor

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