The E-ConnectionA biweekly publication of the Johnston Community School District

November 6, 2017

Johnston Community School District

www.johnstoncsd.org

BOARD OF EDUCATIONGreg Dockum,

PresidentJill Morrill,

Vice PresidentJustin AllenDeb Henry

Steven HopperJeanie Kerber

Matt StahrDr. Corey Lunn,

Superintendent

OUR MISSIONWe commit all district resources to guide the

learning of each student, to graduate as confident learners with character,

knowledge and the skills to excel in any endeavor they

pursue.

VISIONCreating a culture of

excellence where students come first.

This newsletter is a publication of the

Communications Office for the parents and staff in the Johnston Community School District. Call 278-

0470 with questions or concerns.

Mark Your Calendars: Early outs, Conferences, and No School DaysNov. 14: Grades PreK-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:30-8 p.m. (No PreK all day)Nov. 16: Three hour early out for all schoolsNov. 16: Grades PreK-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:30-5 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. (No PreK all day)

Nov. 21: All-district weather notification test (email, phone) to parents and staff at 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 22-24: NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving Break

Food waste. Styrofoam dishware. Plastic straws. Fast fashion. Freshwater resources. Industrial hemp.

And the list of environmental concerns goes on.

During the month of October, four Johnston High School students dived into the Project Green Challenge, an online call to action for 30 days of environmentally-themed challenges, providing students with mentorship, advocacy, and leadership skills.

Junior Angela Cai, junior Sophie Van Zee, senior Joseph Haggerty, and senior Libbie Smith participated in Project Green on their own, with advisement from JHS science teacher Kyla Burns.

According to the Project Green Challenge website, the goal of the project is, “to touch lives, shift mindsets, and equip students with knowledge, resources and mentorship to lead change that causes a powerful ripple effect on campuses and communities worldwide.”

This intensive foray into environmental science for the four students was an eye-opening experience into the many challenges facing Mother Nature. Their effort – above and beyond any routine classroom assignment – earned them a third place finish amongst 51 high school and university teams from around the world.

“The earth is our home and I’ve always felt like we should be doing more to protect the environment,” said Haggerty. “I did the Project Green Challenge because environmental advocacy is something I believe in personally.”

Click here to read the full story, including how the students divided up the work and what the next step of the competition holds.

JHS Students Dominate in Worldwide Project Green Challenge

Highlights from the November 6 board meeting are reported here. For full minutes, go to the eBoards website.

Superintendent’s ReportAcknowledgements: Dr. Lunn welcomed Dr. Jon Sheldahl, new Chief Administrator of Heartland Area Education Agency, to the district and introduced him to the board.

Congratulations to Lisa Boge who recently received the Please Pass the Love Award of Excellence. Thanks for all of the wonderful work she does with students and also for being a role model and mentor for new counselors.

Congratulations to the Girls Cross Country Team for their first place win at the State Cross Country meet. Congratulations to Paige Horner for her first place finish. The team is coached by Pat Hennes, who was named the Des Moines Register 2017 Coach of the Year.

Construction Update: ARC employees saw seven schematic designs for new office options in the old Wallace space. With their feedback, FRK architects will take the seven options down to two or three. There are also versions showing the space with just the ARC and the ARC sharing the space with the City.

Furniture is now being considered the new Wallace. Dr. Lunn emphasized the furniture will look different from what is in other schools. Wallace principal Suzie Pearson and JELA director Joy Palmer got inspiration - and free samples - from the recent EdSpaces conference in Kansas City.

A number of donations have come forward and the large Fire J on the back of the athletic complex will now be lit up. John Waldron, parent and Electrical Engineer at Shive-Hattery, will provide the electrical drawings; Rob Beaman, parent, will provide the LED spotlight; and Wavern DeVries, Vice President DeVries Electric, will provide the electrical work. This is the company that also did the work at the new JHS. No district funds will be used to light the J.

ReportsFiscal Year 2017 Audit Summary Presentation (Jan Miller Hook): Melanie Meyer from Van Maanen, Sietstra & Meyer presented a brief summary of the fiscal year 2017 audit and answered questions from the board. The district remains in solid financial health; view the audit report here.

Financial Health Presentation (Jan Miller Hook): The Financial Health Report for FY17 was reported. View the financial health report on the district website.

Johnston Community School Foundation 2017-2018 Update (Josh Willis): Josh gave an update on the following: • Fundraising Process Change• Expanding reach/impact• Crowdfunding• Enhanced coordination with other groups (PTO’s, etc)• 2017 Grant Funding Status• 2018 Grant Process/Timeline• Dragon Scholarship Fund Update

MTSS and Cultural Competency Update (Bruce Amendt, Joy Wiebers): The Board was updated on the ongoing efforts around Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Cultural Competency in our district. Information in the exhibit provided an overview of the recent work to ensure there is a coordinated effort to expand and strengthen best practice strategies for students. The board also heard about efforts to start the dialogue around cultural competency and an overview of the speakers coming to the district on January 15, 2018.

Action ItemsApproval of School Improvement Advisory Committee 2017-2018 (Chris Bergman): The School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) for 2017-2018 is comprised of primarily parents, students, board members, teachers and school administrators. The board approved.

Board Highlights from November 6

Approval of Early Incentive Offer (Jan Miller Hook): Policies 407.6 and 407.7, passed by the Board January 9, 2017, allow for an employee incentive for non-early retirement. The finance committee discussed a financial incentive for employees giving early notification of leaving the district at the October 23rd finance committee meeting. Based on their recommendation, an incentive of $1,500 will be offered to any certified staff that notifies the District of their intent to resign effective June 30 of the current fiscal year by January 8, 2018. This incentive will be offered to a maximum of thirteen certified employees. If less than thirteen certified employees apply for this incentive, there will be a $1,000 incentive offered with the remaining funds (total funds available $20,000) for certified staff that notify the District of their intent to resign effective June 30 of the current year by February 5, 2018. The incentives will be paid out with the employee’s last check in June of the current fiscal year. (Priority will be based on date and time received if the number of resignations exceeds the maximum). The board approved.

Approval of School Budget Review Committee Application for Modified Supplemental Amount (MSA) for Increased Enrollment, Open Enrollment Out, and Limited English Proficient Beyond 5 Years of Weighting (Jan Miller Hook): Application is due to the SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) by December 1 which provides a modified supplemental amount for increased enrollment, enrollment out, and LEP costs beyond 5 years in the current fiscal year. The board approved.

Approval of Transportation Scenario (Laura Kacer, Katie McBride, Sharla Lyons): Per the board’s request, more detailed information has been supplied for consideration with regard to transportation complaints related to the length of the bus ride for students in the northern portion of the district. Options 3 and 6 are further outlined in the attachment. The Board elected to pursue neither option due to the significant costs and negative impact this would have on other entities within the district. The board encouraged the STA staff to keep this area of the district in mind as routes are planned for 2018-19.

The next board meeting is November 20 at 6 p.m. at the Johnston Administrative Resource Center.

• Arts & Entertainment• Booster Club & PTO Events• Camps & Scouts• District Events

• Educational Opportunities• Sports & Activities• Volunteering & Fundraising

Digital BackpackBe sure to check the digital backpack portion of the website for community organization happenings. Click on the category links below for more details. Fill out this online form to submit a flyer or event.

Accolades

Lisa Boge Honored for Student Mental Health AdvocacyJohnston High School counselor Lisa Boge was recently honored with the Please Pass the Love award at the Iowa School Mental Health Conference, Oct. 17 in Des Moines. Boge has been with the district since 2007. In 2015, she became certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid and has gone on to train other teachers and counselors in the district on that curriculum. Her teaching of Youth Mental Health First Aid, along with being a role model for students, advocating for student mental health and well-being, mentoring counselors during internships, and providing all-around support services to students and staff were among the qualities for which she was nominated.

Girls Cross Country Team Repeats as State ChampsOn the heels of an outstanding season, runners for the Johnston girls cross country team gave it their all at the state meet on Saturday, Oct. 28 in Fort Dodge. Cold temperatures and wind didn’t prevent the Dragons from dominating the race.

Sophomore Paige Horner placed first, marking the first time the Lady Dragons have taken home an individual championship from the state meet. Sisters Jessica and Brook McKee placed 3rd and 4th, respectfully. The Dragons took home the Class 4A State trophy. Additional runners for the Johnston team included Clara Toot (61st), Bella Heikes (34th),

Lindsey Batkiewicz (32nd), and Mackenize Laughlin (86th). The Dragons are coached by Pat Hennes and Chris Siewert.

JHS Competition Cheer Team Take Runner-up Title at StateThe Johnston High School Competition Cheer Team finished as State Runners Up in the 2017 Iowa High School State Cheerleading Championships on Sunday, Nov. 5. This follows a State Runner Up finish in 2015 and a State Championship in 2016. They have also earned two Grand Champions titles this season at the University of Iowa Spirit Spectacular and the Triton Challenge in Fort Dodge. Team members will compete at NCA High School Nationals in Dallas, TX in January.

Math Team Places 2nd in WaverlyThe Math Club did very well in their first competition of the season at Waverly High School, on Saturday, Nov. 4th. They placed second overall and had several individual awards as well.

Team members included Marianne Aldrich, Hannah DeBruin, Matthew Ding, Haley Dostalik, Katie Michalski, Panida MuMat, Cameron Randall, Owen Smith, Aditya Somisetty, Anh Tran, and Chris Yao.

Individual awards went to Chris Yao (1st in Target, 2nd in Sprint, and 5th in relay), Hannah DeBruin (3rd in Target), Aditya Somisetty (3rd in Target), Matthew Ding (3rd in Target and 5th in relay), Cameron Randall (5th in relay), Anh Tran (3rd in relay), Panida MuMat (3rd in relay).

JHS Photo Shoot Notification, Nov. 14-15A professional photo shoot by the architectural firm Perkins + Will will be taking place in common spaces, classrooms, and around the interior of Johnston High School next week, Tuesday, Nov. 14 and Wednesday, Nov. 15.

Students will be photographed as part of their normal school day routines, using the spaces and facilities at the new school. Our school district policy “Parental Authorization for Releasing Student Directory Information” (No. 506.2E1) outlines that a parent/guardian can refuse to have their child’s personally identifiable information, such as a photograph, taken and published. The photos taken by Perkins + Will may be used in promotional materials by both the design team and the school district.

If you do not wish for your child to be photographed, please contact the JHS administration and submit your request in writing. Students will be able to easily see the cameras and photography work being done and can also avoid being in the photos if a written request cannot be submitted.

Don’t Hang Up - It’s the Dragon Scholarship Fund!The Johnston High School National Honor Society students will conduct the annual Dragon Scholarship Fund phone-a-thon on November 5, 6, 12, and 13 between the hours of 6 and 8:30 p.m. The students will be phoning to ask for pledges from DuPont Pioneer – who generously permit the Dragon Scholarship Fund to utilize their phone-bank for this giving campaign. As many families now have Caller ID and are curious about unexpected calls coming in from a Pioneer number on one of those nights, please take the time to answer the call. If you do not want to be on the calling list in future, please use that opportunity to ask that your name be removed from the list.

For more information, contact info@dragonsf.org or visit www.dragonsf.org.

JHS After-Prom Needs Your HelpJHS After-Prom planning is underway and parent help is needed. This year’s event is set for April 28, 2018. • After-Prom is a FREE event for JHS juniors, seniors and their guests• Students do not need to attend prom to come to this event• We rely 100% on good will of parents and businesses to provide the food, prizes and activitiesNearly 1000 kids attended this safe, fun event last year. It takes volunteers and donations to make this happen. Donations are not a price of admission. Regardless of your ability to give, all are welcome and we encourage your junior and senior children to attend. If you are able to give, please know your donations are needed and appreciated regardless of whether you have a child attending. We thank you for your support! How to donate:• Based on last year’s results, the recommended donation amount is $40. We appreciate any amount you are able to give.• The recommended method of donation is via RevTrak at https://johnston.revtrak.net/.

Volunteers Needed for the FIRST® LEGO® League Regional Qualifier in Johnston, Dec. 17Do you want to inspire Iowa kids in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math? Individuals and companies are encouraged to join the volunteer team for the FIRST® LEGO® League Regional Qualifier on December 17 (approx. 8am to 3 pm) in Johnston at the new Johnston High School!

Sign up now! FIRST has a system for volunteer registration that will allow you to see all events in Iowa. Login or create an account in the FIRST Volunteer Registration System and look for “Johnston Regional Qualifier” under “Volunteer Registration” to volunteer on December 17. Go here to get started: my.firstinspires.org/AccountManager/Account/Register.For more detailed notes on how to apply, please go to www.isek.iastate.edu/fll/volunteers/registering-to-be-a-volunteer/.

Johnston Wrestling Club Now Accepting RegistrationsRegistration is open for students in grades K-8; practices start Nov. 13. Register online at http://johnstonwrestlingclub.com. For more information, contact JWC president Scott Edwards at snaedw@aol.com.

District News & Announcements