FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
by Ed Hawks
December 23, 2009
JANUARY 2010 DISTRICT DISPATCH
Welcome back to the new year and the beginning of the second semester. Classes resume on Monday, January 4, 2010. With winter here, the possibility of late starts, early dismissals, and school cancellations due to inclement weather is always with us. Please remember to tune in to the following radio or television stations if the weather appears threatening: KMA (960 AM), KFAB (1110 AM), KNOD (105.3 FM), KMTV (Channel 3), WOWT (Channel 6), and KETV (Channel 7). Please note that we do not have breakfast on days that we have a two-hour late start. We do, however, have “adjusted schedule” morning and afternoon prekindergarten classes regardless of a late start or an early dismissal.
The members of our school district’s Iowa Core Curriculum Leadership Team have been hard at work during the 2009-10 school year attending leadership training modules provided by the Iowa Department of Education and then, in turn, providing training for our entire faculty. Currently, faculty members are collecting data focusing on student engagement in the classroom. Team members include Beamon Bryson, David Clark, Roger Pearson, Denise Henson, Christine Privia, Lewie Curtis, Jill Hultquist, Stacy Ambrose, Lois Johnson, Joyce Tiarks, and Jeff Privia. AEA 13 consultants Christi Gochenour and Ellen Dosen are also part of our local district leadership team.
Just what is the Iowa Core Curriculum? It is a set of essential concepts and skills in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and 21st century learning skills (i.e., civic literacy, financial literacy, technology literacy, health literacy, and employability skills) that all Iowa students must know by the time they graduate from high school. In order to help teachers implement the Iowa Core Curriculum, the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are working together to offer assistance to local school districts. This assistance is required because implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum is not a simple check list. It fundamentally addresses the content taught, the instruction of the content, and the assessment of the content. As a result, the Iowa Core Curriculum not only describes what students must master, but it also helps teachers determine effective instructional techniques through statewide and local professional development opportunities. The vision of the Iowa Core Curriculum is to ensure the success of each and every student by providing him or her with a world-class curriculum. It is designed to improve the achievement of all students by providing them for the world of work and good citizenship. If implemented appropriately, the Iowa Core Curriculum has the capability of positively impacting Iowa’s economic base by better preparing students for postsecondary education and providing more skilled employees for the workplace. Its emphasis on authentic learning will provide Iowa with citizens who are better prepared to address the complexities of life in the 21st century.
