Brookview fifth-grade students will tour the Waukee Middle School on May 8. Parents will attend a separate orientation on May 7 at 7 p.m. in the Waukee Middle School gym. Middle school staff will explain the transition from fifth to sixth grade, schedules and the rotation of classes.
Brookview Elementary art instructor Nick Hasty has designed and painted a wooden bench with scenes that depict Waukee schools. The bench will be raffled for $5 per ticket, with proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society, in conjunction with the Waukee Relay for Life, to be held on June 8-9. Ticket sales will be held at Brookview before and after school in the commons area. If you are in the building at other times, please contact Marlys Fogt at the front desk.
Eason fifth-grade students will tour the Waukee Middle School on May 11. Parents will attend a separate orientation on May 7 at 7 p.m. in the Waukee Middle School gym. Middle School staff will explain the transition from fifth to sixth grade, schedules and the rotation of classes.
Fifth grade students will visit Exchange City, a Junior Achievement of Central Iowa program, at 6100 Grand Ave. in Des Moines, on May 16. Exchange City features a miniature town of storefronts, to teach students business skills and basic economic concepts.
Beyond the Bell, the summer daycare program at Walnut Hills Elementary, is now open to all Waukee school district students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Enrollment forms are available online at www.waukee.k12.ia.us and at each of the four elementary school offices, on the information tables.
Walnut Hills Elementary fifth-grade students will tour Waukee Middle School on May 10. Parents should attend a separate orientation on at 7 p.m. May 7 in the Waukee Middle School gym. Middle school staff will explain the transition from fifth to sixth grade, schedules and the rotation of classes.
Waukee Elementary PTO Spring family fun fest has been rescheduled to 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature inflatables, games, and free fun.
Waukee Elementary fifth-grade students will tour Waukee Middle School on May 9. Parents should attend a separate orientation at 7 p.m. May 7 in the Waukee Middle School gym. Middle school staff will explain the transition from fifth to sixth grade, schedules and the rotation of classes.
Spring fun day will be May 30 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a rain date of May 31. Parent volunteers are needed for this event, to work at stations. Please contact Marcia Van Roekel at Waukee Elementary, 987-5193, for more information.
Megan Gates, ESL instructor at Waukee Middle School, Prairieview School, and Waukee High School, received an $800 Waukee Education Foundation capital grant in April for the ESL program to purchase a multimedia projector.
Waukee community school nursing staff received a $1,915 Waukee Education Foundation capital grant in April to place an automated external defibrillator at the Waukee stadium concession stand.
Waukee Middle School YMCA choir "Students on Stage" will perform at 7 p.m. May 3 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 900 Warrior Lane in Waukee. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. There will be a reception with the choir following the performance.
Waukee will host five home track meets this spring. Volunteers are needed. Please contact the Waukee schools activity office for more information. No experience required. Upcoming meets are Friday and May 11.
Middle school orientation for fifth-grade parents will be held at 7 p.m. May 7, in the Waukee Middle School Gym. Middle school staff will explain the transition from fifth to sixth grade, as well as the rotation of classes and the selection of exploratory classes. This is a meeting for parents only. Student orientation will take place on a different evening, as determined by the elementary school which they currently attend.
Lynnae Lathrop, Prairieview School speech and drama instructor, received a $2,000 Waukee Education Foundation capital grant in April, to support the startup of an after-school drama troupe for eighth- and ninth-grade students. Lathrop was also awarded a $300 Waukee Education Foundation innovation grant to provide makeup mirrors, brushes, highlights and special effects for the speech and drama class.
The Waukee Police Department is looking for student volunteers, in grades nine through 12, who would like to help with "Safety City" this June. "Safety City" is a program for children who will be entering kindergarten this fall. Students who would like to volunteer should contact Officer Rod Shettler at the Waukee Police Department: 987-1073.
Prairieview School is making plans for a fall fundraising event, to be held Oct. 20. The first time event, Prairieview Buyers Bazaar Fundraiser, will feature vendors, food and a raffle. Prairieview students will provide entertainment. Help is needed with food, advertising, setup and entertainment. Vendors, crafters and artists who would like to take part in the bazaar should call Prairieview to request an application.
Waukee Percussion will present "Drummin' with the Monkey 5! 2007 World Tour" on Friday in the Waukee High School auditorium. There will be performances at 6 and 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets are available at the door. The show will feature theatrical lighting and effects. Waukee Percussion is a group of Waukee High School percussionists led by instructor Marty McDonald.
Waukee High School prom will be Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Hy-Vee Corporate Office Events Center in West Des Moines. The Waukee High School after-prom committee will present "After-Prom 2007 007 License to Thrill at the Waukee Royale" at Waukee High School from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Paula Tomlinson, Waukee High School art instructor, received a $3,400 Waukee Education Foundation capital grant in April, to purchase five digital cameras for the photography class. Tomlinson was also awarded a $300 Waukee Education Foundation innovation grant to provide a guest speaker for the photography class.
Lisa Stange, Waukee High School family and consumer sciences instructor, received a $3,331 Waukee Education Foundation capital grant for an upgrade of kitchen equipment to deliver the new ProStart program in family and consumer sciences.
The Waukee Police Department is looking for student volunteers, in grades nine through 12, who would like to help with "Safety City" this June. "Safety City" is a program for children who will be entering kindergarten this fall, 2007. Students who would like to volunteer should contact Officer Rod Shettler at the Waukee Police Department: 987-1073.
The Windsor Heights Fire Department recently sponsored a fire safety poster contest. The following Clive students were recognized as first- or second-place winners in the contest: Tammy Tran (second), Brianne Tuttle (second), Aliah Johnson (first), Cassie Yardley (second). First-place winners received a $100 savings bond and second-place winners received a $75 savings bond.
Each month students who display positive behaviors in the lunchroom are selected to eat lunch with the principal. This month's winners are: Meckenna Recker, Leiz Chan, Sarah White, Molly Whitfield, Sarah Braverman, Kaylee Schultz, Trey Cowley, Mack Vos, Eden Egli, Nathan Witmer, Katie Cross, Jacob West, Libby Hurley-Boyd and Suha Hanoon.
Team members in grades five and six read and discussed many books to prepare for competition in the middle school level Battle of the Books. Forty-six teams competed in our area and both Crestview teams advanced to the second round. The fifth-grade team missed advancing to the third round by six points. The grade six Vindictives team went on to final competition at Simpson College in Indianola. The Vindictives maintained their rank of fourth place through the third written round, holding on to their top 9 percent status. Both teams demonstrated top-notch performance, competing against many older students in grades seven and eight. Grade six Vindictives team members included Amber Aeilts, Abigail Austin, Sara Blom, Julia Kilian, Lily Koufer and Shelby Reddig. Alternate team member Kelly Reeve also prepared for competition. Grade five team members included Emma Stier, Madison Gausman, Rachel Ehrecke, Sammie Binns, Annie Howard, and Lindsey Mack.
If fifth-grade parents have been hearing about black boxes and humdingers, it's not some secret code that students are working on. The terms are part of the models and design unit being taught in science class. Children have been learning that a black box is anything they don't understand but can make a model of. They will be designing model go-carts, which will be tested at the Crossroads 500 speedway.
The Crossroads Park Elementary School version of Paul Revere's famous ride has made its way to West Des Moines. As part of our study of the Revolutionary War in social studies, our fifth-grade students took on the role of Minutemen at impromptu moments throughout one of our regular classroom days. The children had to hastily don Minutemen garb within "a minute" to simulate what the real Minutemen did during that war.
Sixth-graders in Deb Augspurger's general music class are creating compositions using Finale Notepad software in the computer lab. Each student creates and prints out a final product in professional notation, which is then either then performed via the computer or played live on instruments.
The Fairmeadows Destination Imagination team competed in the regional competition in Cedar Rapids on March 31. They earned first place. They participated in the state competition on Saturday at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. Team members are Brooke Beatty, Kate Litscher, Ryan McCullough, Wyatt Mylan and Jordan Summers.
The following Fairmeadows students have been selected to be a part of the honor choir: Maddie Arrasmith, Jennifer Ayala, Gabby Borlabi, Rachel Bosovich, Emma Griffiths, Sara Hahn, Meredith Harrison, Stephanie Helland, Makaila Hendricks, Josh Higginbottom, Abby Kemp, Bailey Laidlaw, Shelby Lane, Sydney Ogilvie, Joie Probst, Gabbie Risolvato, Renee Socarras and Jonah Tweedy. The choir practices twice weekly outside of school.
Each trimester we celebrate students who demonstrate positive behavior throughout the school day. The celebration for the second trimester will be an all-school skating party at Skate West. On Wednesday, grades two, five and six skated. Kindergarten, first, third and fourth grades will go to Skate West on April 25. Admission and skate rental has been paid for by Hillside Elementary School's parent teacher organization.
The fifth- and sixth-grade West Des Moines schools Northside Band had several performances this month. They had a 9:15 a.m. concert at Crossroads Elementary School on April 5. On April 10, the band performed two concerts: a 9:15 a.m. concert at Hillside Elementary and a 7 p.m. concert at Crossroads Elementary for parents and friends.
The Jordan Creek Student Council General Store is open for students who wish to purchase pencils, pens, or highlighters. The store is open in the media center on Tuesday and Friday mornings before school. Money raised will be used to support the activities of the Jordan Creek student council.
The following Jordan Creek students competed in the Spanish Quiz Bowl that was held at the Learning Resource Center last Monday. Fourth-graders: David Forney, Keller Prien, Kayla Phalen and Maddie Colosimo. Fifth-graders: Logan Abdulghani, Katie Smidt, Jessica Olson and Chase Carson. Sixth-graders: Perry Hook, Austin Rieper, Sara LeMar and Baily Canham. Volunteer students from Grand View College led the activities.
Many Jordan Creek students were chosen to be participants in the sixth-grade Honor Music Festival. Sixth-graders were chosen for the all-district band, chorus, orchestra, and handbell choir to represent all eight elementary schools. The concert for the sixth-grade All-District Festival will be in the Valley High School auditorium at 7 p.m. May 8. The following sixth- grade students will represent Jordan Creek. All-District Band: Erica Becker, Tyler Butel, Jake Campos, Ashlyn Clingman, David Duvall, Alec Garringer, Bradley Gates, Chloe Matthews, Lisa Pusin, Reagan Slater, Jaden Van Dike and Benn Wade. All-District Orchestra: Margaret Cooper, Beli Cosic, David Duvall, Alec Garringer, Colette Hussey, Emma Lind, Chloe Matthews, Andrew Peterson, Ben Wade, Brian Wahlig and Morgan Weiler. All-District Chorus: Jennifer Aldrich, Erica Becker, Kara Bixby, Maranda Brooks, Kayla Calhoun, Baily Canham, Alex Carman, Bely Cosic, Carson Dreyer, Lizzy Erbstein, Stacy Flamm, Saima Khan, Lucy Korsakov, Sara LeMar, Alex Maxfield, Breanna Nickens, Alex Rix, Lydia Saggau, Zach Schnoebelen, Amanda Smith, Carson Thomas, Tom Weible, and Morgan Weiler. All-District Handbell Choir: Erica Becker, Kayla Calhoun, and Lisa Pusin.
The Phenix first- through third-grade musical production is at 6:30 p.m. April 26. The musical is "Americans All," which is about the many diverse people who make our country great. The musical features songs of many different cultures and nationalities. Our music teacher at Phenix is Ashley Cooprider.
The students in second grade at Phenix just finished their oceans and balance unit in science. They investigated the question, "How does balance affect our world?" They first studied the work of Alexander Calder, who is known for his invention of the mobile. The students investigated the balance between water and land on Earth. They showed this balance by creating a mosaic picture using squares of green and blue. The students were able to show in a creative way that there is more water on Earth than land. The students also learned the three ocean zones and identified creatures living in each of the three zones: the sunlight, twilight, and midnight zones. They worked in small groups and used a flannel board of the zones to attach the pictures of ocean life to the zone each belonged in. Then the students learned about the food chain in the ocean and talked about its importance to the natural balance of the ocean. As an end of the unit project the students constructed a mobile showing balance in the ocean. Second-grade teachers at Phenix are Jessica George and Mary Johnson.
The following Western Hills students were selected by competitive audition for the sixth-grade Honor Orchestra: Dylan McKee, Paige Whitmore, Darci Kobolt, Claudia Malchow, Virginia Bantz, Alyssa Soto, Kellen Schneider, and Jared Neal. These students will perform at the sixth grade Honor Music Festival on May 8 at Valley High School.
The Destination Imagination team placed third in the eastern regional on March 31 and qualified for the state competition on April 14 in Ankeny on the DMACC campus. The team brought Kate Shelley's heroic trek across a broken bridge to life, building a replica of the bridge and presenting it in a "theater in the round" venue.
Second-grader Samuel Hardman got to be principal for a day at Western Hills Elementary. Samuel won this honor from a drawing at the Western Hills' school carnival. Samuel's day included greeting the students at the beginning of the day, attending meetings, reviewing the Western Hills web site, going to lunch with the principal and speaking to the school over the intercom.
Fifth-graders at Western Hills spent a day in the 1800s at Living History Farms. They dressed as people might have in the 1800s and also brought food for lunch that people might have eaten. They spent half the day at the 1850s farm and the other at the school house.
The following Westridge students completed outstanding work that is currently on display at the Learning Resource Center in West Des Moines at 3550 George M. Mills Parkway: Madelyn Vincent, Erica Coulter, Ben Rasley, Jessie Marlenee, Blake Edgeton, Maggie Ellerbroek, Callie Brown, Jon Langel, Brody France, Tricia Shi, Trevor Elmitt, Joy Lang, Luke Tragesser, Katherine Lowe, Olivia Murphy, Brooke Swain, Shawna Johnson, Jack Krile, Colin Skellenger, Hansini Bhasker, Carlye Marshall, Anne Jang, Cole Hahn, Caitlin Mills, Grace Smith, Addi Truhlsen, Isabelle Acheson, McKenzie Paulsen, Breanna Bagby, Cole Wittern, Rachel Cron, Miranda Tiefenthaler, Joseph Boettcher, Breanne Parkins, Jordan McKillip, Katie Krusenstjerna. The students completed the works as part of their regular assignments in art class here at Westridge.
Each student will receive a certificate commemorating their excellent work. The works are featured in the glass display case located to the left in the main lobby entrance of the building. Work will be on display until the end of the school year, when other student work will be chosen for this honor and these works will be returned to the artists. The art teachers at Westridge are T.J. Lechtenberg and Jan Hutchinson.
Michael Diaz, Zach Walz, Jimmy Ho, Zach Hurt, B.J. Marchant and Deandre Keller competed in the NASA state powerlifting championships on April 7. The team took first place in the bench press-power sports division. Congratulations to Michael Diaz for setting a new bench press state record in the teen 114-pound division. Over the last few months, all of the competitors have been coming into school early and have worked hard.
The Stilwell show choir and men's choir will embark on their annual elementary school tour on April 30 and May 1. On the morning of April 30, the groups will perform at Hillside and Jordan Creek. On the afternoon of May 1, the Stilwell singers will perform at Fairmeadows. The tour offers a performance opportunity for the show choir and men's choir before the vocal concerts, which take place May 8 and May 10.
On April 9, the Stilwell band department held its solo and ensemble contest. Overall results by rating were as follows: nine II (good) ratings, 49 I (excellent) ratings, and 67 I+ (highly superior) ratings. Receiving outstanding performance awards were: mallet solo, Sarah Hanson; clarinet solo, Jared Giunta; snare drum solo, Brett Neal; oboe solo, Rebecca Ihnen; alto sax solo, Lauren Holmes; tuba solo, Dillon Olsen; and trombone solo, Andrew Halterman.
On Monday, the 2007 Genetic Update Conference was held at Drake University in the Olmsted Center. The event was a unique opportunity for students to hear Sam Rhine from the Genetic Education Center in Fortville, Ind., present the most up-to-date genetic information. Topics for this year included bird flu virus, stem cells and cancer, non-mendelian genetics and 10 years of cloning. Forty-six eighth-grade students from Stilwell attended the conference.
Each month, teachers at VSW select two students from each team to recognize as tigers of the month. These students are chosen for qualities such as positive attitude, effort, curiosity, kindness, compassion, willingness to help others, respectful interactions, creativity, responsibility and leadership. Their pictures and reasons for being selected as are posted in the first floor hallway. This month's students are Alex Hagen, Molly Stevenson, Kaitlyn Chase, Mara Zuckerman, Katie Geneser, Andrew Streck, Molly Fallon, Nathan McManus, Mary Kenney, Stefanie Dingman and Nick Bradley.
Gracie Brandsgard was named the champion in the domestic and foreign extemporaneous speech event at the Great Midwestern Novice Debate Championship held in Iowa City. She has been awarded trophies at every one of the six tournaments that she attended this year. Gracie also competes in legislative debate with the Valley debate team. This is an incredible record for a freshman in the first year of competition. Cody Johnson is the director of Valley debate and Diane Hicks is the debate teacher.
On April 27, Walnut Creek Campus will hold its prom and after-prom. The theme for this year is "It's a Small World After All" celebrating the cultural diversity of our school. Sixty flags representing every student's national heritage will be hung from the ceiling. Ethnic food will be available amid multicultural decorations.
At 7 p.m. on April 10, students of Walnut Creek Campus performed their first one-act play. "Plaza Suite: Visitor from Mamaroneck" was performed by Christl Caspar, Ellery DePaul, Cierra Lane and Mason Cochran to a crowd of family and friends at Rex Mathes Auditorium.
State officers for Skills USA are preparing to lead the state conference today and Friday at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa. C.J. Davis, State President; Travis Ochanpaugh, State Treasurer; Elle Ploessi-Dougherty, Reporter; and Katie Anderson, Treasurer, have been busy planning the event with officers from across the state. Central Campus will send 59 students to the conference, competing in various skill demonstration events.
Students are participating in an exciting reading program called, "Readers are Leaders." The program, sponsored by Employee and Family Resources, provides incentives for students to read more. EFR donates $2 for every book read, money which will be used to purchase additional books for classrooms. A giant bar graph on a hall bulletin board keeps track of which class has read the most. Competition between the classes is stiff as students are challenged to read more and help their class earn more books.
Career math students have been working on a Webquest in which they had to plan a trip. They had to compute distance, gas mileage and cost, hotel and meal costs and activity expenses. They shared the total cost of their trips this week in a group presentation.
The fourth annual Rick Lussie Music Appreciation Day was held on April 9. It was a huge success. Rick Lussie had been a special education teacher and supervisor for Des Moines Schools for many years. He taught at RVM in his early years with the district. Along with being a big supporter of RVM, Lussie was also an avid blues musician and member of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame. The goal each year is to bring a variety of musical experiences to students. This year was an exceptional accomplishment of this goal. Students got to see dance performed by Karina Baroni and Friends and performances by the North High ROTC drill team. During lunch, two members of Rick Lussie's former band entertained. Half the day was designed for students to experience various instruments for themselves. Students heard the instruments demonstrated and everyone had a chance to play such instruments as the tuba, violin, trombone, guitar and drums.
On Friday, students and staff will demonstrate the school wide expectation of citizenship by raking and removing leaves and debris from the school campus. This activity will prepare for our planting day in May. Thanks to the Botanical Center for donating the plants to our school.
Des Moines Christian School will present "Cinderella," a musical that blends great music, voices, and choreography into a production that is a must-see for all ages. Refreshments will be served following each nightly production in the old chapel at First Federated Church, 4801 Franklin Ave., Des Moines. The show will be held tonight and Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The show is open to the public and is $5 for students and senior citizens and $8 for adults.
Durinda Compton's fifth-grade students led elementary chapel on wisdom and God's Word on April 11 with musical preludes, prayer, multiple humorous skits, recaps of the dramatizations, scripture and Bible trivia. During chapel, a total of 13 third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students were recognized for their accomplishments in representing DMC among nine schools and 154 students at the recent Math Olympics of Central Iowa. Computation award winners included third-graders Sara Boesen (third place), Addison Williamson (fourth place) and Bethany Dadisman (fifth place); and fifth-grader Ian Troll (first place). Reasoning award winners included third-graders Isabel Waller (first place) and Kaitlyn Hockmuth (fourth place); fourth-grader Damon Stubbs (third place); fifth-graders Daniel Hawley, Lynae Dadisman (first place) and Ashley Oakes (third place); and sixth-graders Josh Rowley (first place), Keegan Shay (second place) and A.J. Fanning (fourth place).
Recently, Dowling freshman Kassie Kulas competed in the state USAG gymnastics competition in Coralville. In level 7 (age 14 and up) she placed fourth in floor, second in beam, second in vault and second all-around. Kulas was also the state champion in the bars competition.
Sophomore Tyler Grask is a national champion in wrestling after winning his division at the USA Wrestling 2007 ACICS Folkstyle National Championships. There were 26 participants from six states in his division.
Recently, 15 of Dowling's art students displayed their artwork at the Des Moines Art Center in the Education Wing for the CIML Art Show. In addition, these students attended a daylong workshop including a walking tour of downtown with an architect and an awards ceremony. Awards went to senior Luis Gomez for "best of pastel," junior Joe Schulte for "best of all two-dimensional work," sophomore Meredith Wilkie for "best craft and fiber" and sophomore Zach Miller for "best black and white photo."
Dowling has approximately 100 students coaching Special Olympic athletes in swimming and track. They have been practicing every Tuesday and Thursday for the district meet at Simpson College and on May 18, they will go to the state meet in Ames.
Iowa Christian Academy's fifth-grade class built "baskets of hope" for the YMCA residential program. The students collected toiletries and other essentials, such as T-shirts and socks, for the residents. They filled "baskets" with these items and delivered them to the downtown YMCA.
Iowa Christian Academy senior Taylor Francis received the Jim Blackburn Memorial Sportsmanship Award. Francis plays hockey for the Des Moines Capitals. The award is presented to the player showing superior strength and balance physically, mentally and spiritually, both on and off the ice.
ICA's high school students participated in the Rolling Hills Conference art competition. Freshman Amy Greer placed first in the charcoal portrait competition. The following students were also recognized for their submissions: pencil drawing, Beth Thompson, second place and Justin Davis, fourth place; acrylic painting, Andy Nielsen, honorable mention; sculpture, Amy Greer, honorable mention; 2-D design, Lia Mason, fourth place and Jordan Haroldson, fifth place; printmaking, Lauren Erhard, fifth place; rock star design, Brandon Treu, second place; charcoal drawing, Amber Golay, fifth place; Web site design, Justin Davis, second place and Lia Mason, third place; 3-D color abstract, Amber Golay, second place; and functional sculpture, Kim Caseley, fourth place.
The secondary students will spend today and Friday at Wildwood Hills camp as part of the spring spiritual emphasis retreat to grow closer to God and one another.
The children at the Montessori Children's House have been giving care and comfort to two rabbits named Pillow and Blanket. Learning about caring for rabbits has been a real treat for the children. They have learned to keep the bedding dry, the food fresh and the water bottle full. Observing the rabbits interact with toys, play follow the leader, and run relay races with carrots has been fascinating. Given the care they have received, the Montessori bunnies have been as healthy and happy as those seen outside the courtyard fence and certainly, at least this winter, a little warmer. Along with learning about bunnies, the children colored Easter eggs and held an Easter egg hunt.
The kindergarten class had an Easter egg hunt with their eighth-grade buddies. The first-graders also had an egg hunt on the front lawn. Each student found seven eggs.
The kindergarten to second-grade choir sang an Easter song at the 8 a.m. service April 8. These students are excited to be singing "alleluia" many times. The third- to fifth-grade choir, Drama and Bells, will participate in the 5 p.m. service Saturday.
Mt. Olive's eighth-graders are off on a journey across Western Europe in their world geography class. Working in groups of three, the students map a route by automobile through the countries, making certain they visit each one.
Tonight, the Mount Olive Lutheran School bell choir along with the East High bell choir, Hoyt Middle School bell choir and the Mt. Olive adult bell choir will participate in a bell festival at Hoyt Middle School at 6:30 p.m. Traci McCaull of East High (242-8138) is the contact person for this event. Andy Gavrun of Urbandale is the Mt. Olive bell choir director. Admission will be $2 for adults, $1 for students and free for children five years and under.
Mt. Olive Lutheran School, 5625 Franklin Ave., Des Moines, is accepting applications for the 2007-08 school year. Call 277-0247 for more information or to schedule a visit to the school.
Fifth- and seventh-grade Odyssey of the Mind teams from Sacred Heart won their divisions at the State of Iowa Odyssey of the Mind competition March 30. Members of the fifth-grade team included Elizabeth Kahle, Madison Dugan, Caeli Coffin, Colleen Meyers, John Kuhn, David Herzog and Riley Katich. Members of the seventh-grade team included Nick Doss, Charlie Schurman, Thomas Rigg, Dan Ryan, Kelly Sullivan and Katie Drees. They will compete at the world finals at Michigan State University in May.
The kindergarten class visited Terrace Hill on April 5. After a quick photo shoot, the children were escorted into the formal dining room where they shared pizza, milk and cake with the governor and his family. Once lunch was over, they had a tour of the Carriage House and the Governor's Mansion.
The eighth-graders at St. Augustin will receive the sacrament of confirmation Monday at 7 p.m. at the church. Practice for the students and sponsors will be held at the church Sunday at 7 p.m.
The School Improvement Committee will meet today at 4:30 p.m. in the media center. Topics for discussion are: student achievement progress, six-plus-one traits of writing, student achievement goals and future needs.
Students, faculty and staff are participating in a Pennies for Patients fundraiser. Students are collecting change over a two-week period, and today will be a "jeans day."
Middle school students with perfect demerit cards went to Culver's for lunch April 11. Students retaining their demerit card for the third quarter participated in a bowling day April 13.
The fourth-grade St. Pius Destination Imagination team won first place at the district competition in Cedar Rapids. The team included Alexandra Zahn, Anne Marie Stickland, Kristin Krueger and Megan Siembieda. The team, coached by Teri Siembieda, is in its first year together.
The 87-member St. Pius X Middle School service group raised enough money to replace three outdated computers in the Terra Livre office in Brazil. They also collected 200 items consisting of toothbrushes, toys and art supplies that were sent during spring break with Dowling Catholic students. Terra Livre is a non-profit group dedicated to the rights of teenagers and children. Members work with poor children, teaching them English, reading skills, soccer and capiero (a martial art). Their goal is to make a difference - one child at a time.
On April 4, the seventh graders traveled to Iowa State University to the Biotechnology Outreach Lab. At the lab they extracted DNA from bananas and used crime-scene evidence to do DNA fingerprinting. Their instructor, Mike Zeller, led them through the experiments and gave them information about the impact of biotechnology on their lives now and in the future. On April 5, Lou Chapko, a biogeneticist from Pioneer Hi-Bred, visited the class and talked about his job and the impact of such products as "Bt" corn.
The middle school students visited Starlab on Monday and learned such things as why they can't see their zodiac sign on their birthday, African and Egyptian constellations and star brightness. On Wednesday, kindergarten through fifth grade visited the lab and learned such things as why stars twinkle at night and the legends of the Native American tribes.
Sixth-graders participated in the annual AEA sixth-grade math bee in March. The top four scorers at St. Pius were Amy Vial, Nicholas Seymour, Lukas Steffensmeier and Haley Chapko.
The middle school students at St. Theresa participated in a justice retreat March 15 by visiting the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, learning from Dowling Catholic students of the store's mission and listening to presentations by Catholic Charities. They also attended an informational session on Hope Ministries and donated 336 rolls of toilet paper and three rolls of paper towels to Bethel Mission through a paper drive. During the lunch hour students were able to attend Mass at the Cathedral. Students completed the day by journaling on their experiences and discussing the different types of ministry opportunities available.
St. Theresa is participating in a community service program to raise funds for the American Heart Association. On April 17 at St. Theresa School, we will hold a Jump Rope for Heart event for kindergarten through fifth grade from 1 to 3 p.m. in the gym. These events are held nationwide and help students learn about the benefits of regular physical activity and heart health while raising funds to support vital research and education programs. Jump Rope for Heart is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The money raised will help people in our community. The school will also qualify for gift certificates for physical education equipment based on the amount we raise. Students will receive thank-you gifts based on the amount they collect. Family and friends are welcome to support their child's participation by making contributions. We ask that children not go door-to-door or ask strangers for donations. Supporters can donate online at www.americanheart.org/jump . Your child can register and create his or her own Web page with the tools provided online. Some employers will match donations.
It's been a busy time for the second-graders since conferences. We had learning centers for First Communion on March 28 in the Parish Hall. Again this year, people had the opportunity to make a blessing cup for only $5. (The parish picks up the remaining $13). The week we came back from spring break, we participated in reconciliation. We have completed our study of geometry, fractions and probability in math, and after break we will begin studying measurement. We will also finish our study of space after break. We look forward to seeing all of you at our upcoming music program Monday.
On March 9, the primary students experienced "Alice," performed at the Civic Center as part of the Applause series. Students had a wonderful time as they learned about how money is not the most important and that friendships are very valuable.
Primary students are starting to prepare for their upcoming spring concert Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Theresa Church. Pre-kindergarten students will join the kindergarten through second-grade students to sing, play and dance to a variety of nursery rhymes and spiritual songs. The Saint Theresa choir will also appear as guest artists at the concert.
On March 28, the intermediate students experienced the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and had the opportunity to see how a professional ensemble works and performs. The concert included pieces from Walton, Handel and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Intermediate students are preparing for their upcoming spring concert April 30 at 7 p.m. at St. Theresa Church. Students are working on pieces from around the world and enjoying the challenge of singing in other languages. Both the Saint Theresa's choir and fourth/fifth grade band will be featured at this concert.
Middle school students finished a unit on instruments. They had the opportunity to experience guitars, in-pitched percussion instruments, marimbas and vocal music. This quarter culminated into a final instrument project. Students were assigned randomly into groups and were then given a piece of music and asked to learn it with some guidelines. Students had three class periods to put the piece of music together and performed it for their fellow classmates. Students were asked to evaluate themselves. They also were introduced to opera and musical theater.
The middle school completed a floor hockey unit and are ready for physical fitness testing. Conditioning included the Irish step dance to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Grades three to five played basketball this month to get ready for Jump Rope for Heart and are learning several new double- and single-jump rope skills as well as how to keep the heart healthy. They also learned the Irish step dance.
Kindergarten through second-grade students learned basic tumbling skills and worked on jumping in preparation for Jump Rope for Heart. They also learned about heart health and were read the book "Get Up and Go" by Nancy Wilson. They have colored and drawn on hearts to demonstrate how they keep their hearts healthy. They also learned a portion of the Irish step dance.
The eighth-grade students are participating in the Great American Mail Race. They received a letter from a student in Key Biscayne, Fla., asking them to find and write to three other schools somewhere in the U.S. All students wrote a letter back to the Florida student, then wrote letters to their three chosen schools, asking them to participate. Students chose a variety of public and private schools across the country, including schools in Alaska, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, Colorado, South Carolina and New York. Students have mapped out their locations on a wall map in the room and are awaiting their responses.
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