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J- HawkJournal

Webster Elementary/April 2018

Igniting Leadership!Erin Shearer, Principal

A year ago Apri l , Webster Elementary of f icial ly announced our partnership with Frankl in Covey to begin our work as a Leader In Me school based on the bel ief that everyone can be a leader versus leadership only being for the few. Our hopes were that our work would ignite passion and leadership in al l who enter Webster each day.

Throughout this school year, most of the ?reimagined? and ?new? have been smal l , quiet adjustments to things that were al ready wonderful ly done here at Webster in the past . Our mission cues: Inquire, Inspire, Ignite, welcome us into each of our classrooms and into the school , reminding us that we come into this place with a purpose to learn and lead each day. Our environment has had a l i t t le face-l i f t as wel l . Because we bel ieve our wal ls 'talk' to students, we have thought ful ly placed meaningful quotes in high t raf f ic areas, as wel l as in the nooks and crannies of our hal ls. Student art work is beaut iful ly displayed throughout the building, and we are al ready dreaming about future ways to capture and display the talents of our l i t t le art ists next year. Within our classrooms, our teachers have reimagined elements in their systems to provide students with meaningful leadership experiences and opportunit ies. Students lead in roles throughout the building, and within their classrooms each day. Overal l our monthly assembl ies have had the biggest shif t with our celebrat ions been rooted in recognit ion, community leadership, and reading! Students have been excited to take much of the lead in the planning and of our school and community-wide events.

In just a year of implementat ion, we already have evidence of the impact of Leader in Me here at Webster. And, with object ive evidence of Leader in Me impact steadily growing since 2010, with over thirty (to date) independent academic research studies having evaluated Leader in Me ef fect iveness, we feel excited about what impact l ies ahead. Common posit ive f indings f rom these studies include improvements to standardized test scores, ?discipl inary incidence, student at tendance, teacher sat isfact ion, staf f col laborat ion, ?school cul ture, professional development, and student sel f -regulat ion. Al l of the TLIM research is available on TheLeaderInMe.org/What-is-the-Impact / .

As we move further along our Leader in Me journey, we are looking forward to seeing the cont inued residual impact of our work. We wil l cont inue to put students f irst in our work, helping to thought ful ly prepare them to successful ly lead their l ives in a future no one can quite yet predict . What an honor it is to be able to do this work!

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No student enrolled in the Urbandale Community School District shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in the District 's programs on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, religion, marital status (for program), ethnic background, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (for employment) or socioeconomic background (for program).

The policy of the District shall be to provide educational programs and opportunities for students as needed on the basis of individual interests, values, abilit ies and potential. If you have questions, please contact the District off ice at 11152 Aurora Ave., Urbandale, IA or call 515.457.5000. The district 's Equity Coordinators are Dr. Keri Schlueter, Coordinator of Student Services, Mark Lane, Director of Human

Resources, and Crista Carlile, Director of Teaching and Learning.

J-Hawk Journal

J-Haw k 7 Habi ts A ssembl ies

W e wi l l have two assem bl ies presented by the Science Center

on W ednesday, Apr i l 4th. Preschool through 2nd Grade

wi l l at tend BOOM ! fr om 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm and 3rd Grade through

5th Grade wi l l at tend "Sim ply Electr i fying" fr om 2:30 pm - 3:15

pm . in the W ebster Gym .

Late StartThere wi l l be two late star t days at W ebster in Apr i l .

On W ednesday, Apr i l 11th, and W ednesday, Apr i l 25th,

classes wi l l begin at 10:00 a.m .

Students m ay begin enter ing the bui lding at 9:45 a.m . on

those days.

PTO M eeting There was no PTO m eeting

in the m onth of M arch. Please join us for our next

m eeting on Tuesday, Apr i l 3rd, at 6:30 pm in the W ebster

M edia Center.As always, fr ee chi ldcare wi l l

be provided. "M any hands m ake l ight work ."

Fourth grade students have been researching, studying, and writ ing reports on Famous Iowans, all in preparation for their "Famous Iowan's Wax Museum". The fourth graders will soon be on display in full costume, with props, to represent these famous Iowan's in a Wax Museum presentation. Students in second through f if th grade will be invited to visit the museum on Wednesday, April 18th, between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.. Parents are invited to come and tour the museum on Friday April 20th, between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The museum will be set up in the Webster Gym.

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J-Hawk Journal

Calendar of Event s Tuesday, Apr i l 3r d - PTO M eeting - 6:30 pm

W ednesday, Apr i l 4th - UM S Jazz Band/Show Choir Per form ance - W ebster Gym - 9:15 am

W ednesday, Apr i l 4th - Science Center Assem bl ies "BOOM !" PK - 2nd Gr : 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm

"Sim ply Electr i fying" 3rd - 5th Gr : 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm

M onday, Apr i l 9th - Spr ing Running Club Begins

M onday, Apr i l 9th - Annual Pay I t Forward Event - Blood Dr ive @ W ebster

Tuesday, Apr i l 10th - W ebster 1st Grade M usic Program W ebster Gym nasium - 7:00 pm

W ednesday, Apr i l 11th - LATE START DAY

W ednesday, Apr i l 11th - Fam ily Din ing Night at Texas Roadhouse 4 pm - 10 pm

Thursday, Apr i l 19th - Chorus Concer t & Student Showcase @ W ebster - 7:00 pm

Fr iday, Apr i l 20th - Fam ous Iowan W ax M useum @ W ebster 2:30 - 3:30 p.m .

Tuesday, Apr i l 24th - Grand Blue M i le Victor y Lap

W ednesday, Apr i l 25th - LATE START DAY

Let ter Day Calendar

Lunch Menu

Onl ine Lunch Payment

Flyer Hub

Transportat ion

Webster Staf f Directory

Lunch/Recess/Specials

Dates to Remember

5-30-18

Rem i n der -For those of you that

are planning your sum m er act ivi t ies ,

our last day of classes at W ebster wi l l now be W ednesday, M ay

30th.

Our next Hy Vee Shop N Share weekend will be April 14th and 15th!Please click here for a printable form for you to take with you when you do

your shopping that weekend at the Urbandale Hy-Vee (86th & Douglas). Give the bottom portion to your cashier as you check out and Hy-Vee will generously donate 5% of your

purchase to Webster Elementary! Thanks for helping Hy-Vee help our kids! Follow Hy-Vee onTwitter at "UrbandaleHyVee" for notices on special deals and offers! Share these forms with

friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives!

Shop N Share WeekendShop N Share

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J-Hawk Journal UM S Jazz Band/Show

Choir TourWebster will have an opportunity to hear and see the talents of the Urbandale Middle School Jazz Band and Show Choir during their annual tour of the elementary buildings. Featuring some former Webster students, the performance offers not only some great entertainment but also shows our future Middle School students the types of activities they can be a part of in the coming years. I t is always something staff look forward to as well - a chance to see former students shine!

The Show Choir and Jazz Band will put on their traveling show in the Webster gym on Wednesday, April 4th, at 9:15 a.m. As always, parents are welcome to attend. I f

attending, please be sure to stop and sign in at the office.

Webster 4th graders will be attending the Exercising Your Character event on Thursday, April 12th. The students will enjoy dancing, singing, and motivational messages from athletes, coaches, and role models. Hy Vee has sponsored this event since 2007 in cooperation with Character Counts in Iowa, a national organization that promotes civil ity through character development at all stages in life. Lunch will be provided to the students and they will also receive a free t-shirt!

M any thanks to Pam M effor d, our l ibrar ian, and Beth Day, our M edia

Associate, for al l they do for us!

Nat i on al L i br ar y W eek

Apr i l 8th - 14th

Chor us Conc er t & St udent Show c ase

The Chorus Concert and Student Showcase is a new event this year at Webster Elementary! The full Webster Chorus will be singing the music they've been working on this spring. There will also be a "recital" portion, where individual and small groups will be singing or playing a solo or small group piece.

We are excited for the students to have this opportunity to share their talent and passion for music and are looking forward to hearing their various performances. We hope you will join us for this entertaining evening!

Chorus Concert and Student ShowcaseThursday, April 19th

7:00 pmWebster Gymnasium

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J-Hawk Journal

Spring Running Club Begins Spring is here and it?s time for Running Club to start up once again. Spring Running Club will begin on Monday, April 9th, and continue until Friday, May 18th.

Running Club allows students the opportunity to spend the outdoor portion of their lunch recess running laps around the playground to accumulate miles. Six laps is the equivalent of a mile. Parent-volunteers keep track of the miles run and prizes are awarded for achieving dif ferent milestones. Past prizes have included everything from pencils to water bottles.

Running Club is a fun, effective way to get kids moving and introduce them to the joys of running. If you are interested in helping, please contact Mrs. Schutt. (schuttj@urbandaleschools.com)

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @WebsterUCSD and #powerofWE.

from Emily Wells, Band Director

The fifth grade band students have had a great year! We started learning how to play instruments in September, and have been working diligently for the last five months. We had our first concert in mid-January, with the UHS Wind Ensemble, the ?top? instrumental music group at UHS. It was lots of fun to hear the students' first concert and compare it to the growth that will happen by the time they?re seniors in high school!

We are working hard to gear up for multiple performances this spring. The first annual Webster Student Showcase is on Thursday, April 19 at 7p.m. here at Webster. Chorus students will be performing, and band students have the option of playing a solo, or as part of a small group, in a recital. The 5th & 6th grade bands will have our annual Spring Concert on Monday, May 14 at 7p.m. at the Urbandale High School Performing Arts Center. We are looking forward to a musical spring!!

Please join us f or our f ir st g rade music p rog ram, "Just Buzzin' W it h Song s!", on Tuesday , A pr il 10t h, at 7:00 p .m. in t he W ebst er Gy mnasium. The st ud ent s are very excit ed t o share t heir t alent s wit h y ou!

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J-Hawk Journal

Kindergarten Regist rat ion: Heal th Forms

It was great to see many of you at the Kindergarten meeting in February! We are looking forward to having your children in school next year! Don?t forget to schedule those needed appointments! Immunizations for Kindergarten can be done anyt ime af ter your child turns 4? .so no reason to wait! We are asking for Kindergarten health forms to be turned in by May 1st. We know that many students have appointments over the summer, so just turn in what you have so far. Immunizations are the most t ime sensitive item, as children cannot start school without these needed forms. Here is a link to all of the Kindergarten information: http:/ /www.urbandaleschools.com/our- district/ student-services/ registration- new-students/ Just scroll down and click on ?Health Information? in Step 3 to download all necessary forms. Please email me if you have any questions! yorkh@urbandaleschools.com

A P R ILFa mil y D in in g Nig h t

Think ing ahead...As the last day of school has been moved to Wednesday, May 30th, due to our snow days, our all-school End of Year Assembly date has also changed. Our End of Year Assembly for all grades will now be held on Tuesday, May 29th, at 1:30 p.m. Parents of fifth graders should know that this assembly will NOT include the 5th grade promotion ceremony, which will take place on the last day, May 30th. The time and further details on this are yet to be determined. Field Day for grades K through 5 will remain on Tuesday, May 15th (with a rain date of May 17th). Preschool students will have their Field Day on Thursday, May 10th.

Additional classroom end of year details are still being confirmed and will be coming soon!

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Be a LifeSaver Blood Drive---------PAY IT FORWARD Event 2018When:

Monday, April 9, 2018--12:30-6:00pmWebster Elementary Media Center

12955 Aurora Ave, Urbandale, IA 50323

Dear Parents,We are very excited to announce our Pay it Forward event for this year! We are going to be LifeSavers and we need your help! Please plan to help with this amazing event in a few ways:

1. Donate yourself ! Your child will have a goal to recruit at least one adult in their l ife to donate! Please review the Blood Donor Eligibil ity Guide and consider donating. Webster families/ friends will have priority scheduling through April 2nd and then we will open slots for community members as well. Anyone can continue to sign up and/or walk in on the day of the event. No one will be turned away.

2. Then follow the steps below:a. Log onto www.lifeservebloodcenter.orgb. On the top right corner click Loginc. Click on Donord. Click on Sponsor Name Searche. Type in Pay it Forward and add the 4/9/18 date and hit searchf. Click on our event to schedule your time slot

3. We have students that will log on often to update and track our donors to reach our goal to save 100 Lives!

4. We are using the students for all jobs the day of the event, but we have a few opportunities for parent volunteers too! Log on to:

http:/ /www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0449aca92fabff2-2018

to reserve a spot to volunteer! Everyone is welcome, but we want to secure certain spots throughout the day!

Questions? Please contact Katie Hoover (parent) at hooverk31@gmail.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT!The Pay it Forward Committee

Lindsay WalkerAmanda Henry

Rosalyn RobertsKatie Hoover

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Webster Elementar y would l ike to thank KCCI and EMC for the $1000 donat ion for

books for our l ibr ar y.We ar e so excited to have new books to add

to our shelves!!Mr s. Meffor d and Mr s. Day

"A book is a dr eam that you hold in your hands."- Neil Gaiman

Books that were purchased with the generous donation from KCCI and EMC's Read With Me program.

A variety of genres from picture books to chapter books were acquired.

Thank You, Urbandale Police Department!

You or your students may occasionally have the fortune of seeing our men and women in blue around the halls of Webster. The Urbandale Police Department will be frequently stopping by all of the schools in Urbandale to pay us friendly visits. We thank them for their service and welcome them to our building!

Incom ing 6t h GradeParent Meet ing

The parent meeting for incoming 6th grade students is set for Monday, April 30th at 6:00 PM in our new gymnasium. This meeting is for parents only and will include information about our schedule, Powerschool, attendance, lockers, etc. Parents are welcome to take a self-guided tour following the meeting and if interested, may attend the PTO meeting starting at 7:00 PM.

If parents have questions, they can contact Mrs. Laizure at 457-6612.

T h a n k Y o u , P T O !Many thanks to our wonderful Webster PTO for the new chairs purchased for the library. Students are already enjoying this seating option while reading.

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J-Hawk Journal

Thank You Volunteers!(Volunteer A ppreciation Week : A pri l 15th - 21st)

A school is more than books and desks and learning two plus two.It's people who share their skills and care, giving their best in all they do.So please accept our heartfelt thanks and sincere appreciation.Our school is definitely a much better place because of your dedication

-Webster Staff and Students