PANTHER PRESS
9/28/2018
City Stop Changes for Bus #'s 11 & 13
Changes to city stop location for Bus 11 & 13:
Effective Monday, October 1st, the Harlan and Jefferson St. bus stop will be moved ONE BLOCK to the North. There will be a sign at the stop. Please contact the bus barn at 641-842-3313 if you have any questions. The A.M. and P.M. times will remain the same.
Brenda Dunkin, KCSD Transportation Assistant Director
o: (641) 842-3313 m: (641) 780-7648
Home Football Games
Over the past two home football games we have noticed an increasingly large number of students that are going in and out of Ken Locke Stadium and crossing the street and then coming back to the Stadium. This concerns us as the students are crossing busy roads on a Friday night and the sun is beginning to set earlier and earlier which makes it even more difficult to see these youngsters. We have implemented a "once you're in, you're in; if you're out, you're out" stance as it pertains to students freely coming and going from the Stadium. We will have a police presence at the gate and after 645 PM any student that leaves the stadium will not be re-admitted. We realize many students go watch the Panther Walk and we want to continue to encourage that and with the team being to the stadium by 640 PM, the Panther Walk is over by then; hence the 645 PM time we will start enforcing this new policy.
Keeping students safe is our #1 priority and hopefully this will dramatically cut down on the number of kids we have out on these busy roads while home football games are going on.
KCSD Activities Director
Enrollment Options
KCSD offers enrollment options other than the traditional full-time PK-12 student schedule:
- Home School Assistance Program is offered to support home school families. If you are interested, please email our Home School Assistance Coordinator at stacy.picard@kcsd.k12.ia.us.
- Open Enrollment applications must be submitted to the resident AND to the receiving districts. The deadline for filing for OE for the 2019-2020 school year is March 1, 2019 for 1st—12th graders and September 1, 2019 for Kindergarten students.
Marion County Public Health will again be offering flu shots for KCSD students in October.
West and Northstar students: Consent forms will be, or already have been, sent home with elementary students.
Middle School and High School: please print, complete and return the form OR your student may pick up a printed form from the school office. (Form PDF below)
All forms are DUE back to school by OCTOBER 2.
Thanks. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Healthy regards,
Angie Mitchell, RN, BSN
Knoxville School Nurse
West Elementary: 641-842-2185
Northstar Elementary: 641-842-6527
Knoxville Middle School: 641-842-3315
Knoxville High School: 641-842-2173
Cell: 641-891-6016
September: Suicide Awareness Month
2018 KHS HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES
Follow Student Senate on Twitter @senate_KHS
9TH/VARSITY FOOTBALL GAME- FRIDAY, 9/28 - 4:45 AND 7:30 KEN LOCKE STADIUM
Come cheer on the 9th grade and Varsity teams as they take on the Grinnell Tigers!
HOMECOMING DANCE - SATURDAY, 9/29
Saturday night from 8:00-11:00 in the HS Commons
$10 per person- If you donate a non-expired canned good, ticket will be $5 per person
All canned goods and half of ticket sales will be donated to Helping Hands
If you are bringing a person from out of town, there is a form in the office to fill out and it must be returned to the high school BEFORE the dance
Dress attire: Jeans or khaki shorts are acceptable, NO t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants or hats allowed
If you need to go to your car, you may be escorted out by a staff member
If you leave the dance unescorted then you cannot come back.
Panther Success Graduate
College Funding Programs for Students & Families
Sept. 4–Oct. 21: Save Now, Save Later: College Savings Plan Parent Giveaway
- Open to: Parents and guardians of Iowa students in grades 6–12.
- Awards: Fifty $1,000 deposits into College Savings Iowa accounts.
- Requirements: Visit the Parent Handbook guide for important college financing information and enter contact information to register for a random drawing.
- Start at: www.IowaStudentLoan.org/SaveNow
Oct. 22–Feb. 22: Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship
- Open to: Iowa high school seniors who will attend college in fall 2019.
- Awards: Thirty $2,000 college scholarships plus $250 to each recipient's high school.
- Requirements: Register online and then follow emailed instructions to complete two online components and a related assessment. Scholarships are awarded to the 30 students with the highest scores. A tiebreaker may be required.
- Start at: www.IowaStudentLoan.org/SeniorScholarship
March 18–April 30: College Funding Forecaster Giveaway
- Open to: Iowa high school seniors attending college in fall 2019 and their parents or guardians
- Awards: Ten $1,000 awards sent directly to each student’s college for fall 2019
- Requirements: Complete the College Funding Forecaster tool to estimate total college costs over four years and enter contact information to register for a random drawing.
- Start at: www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Giveaway
Fall Drivers Education Classes
Driver Education is offered at Knoxville High School through Triple ‘R’ Driving School. There will be one fall session offered at Knoxville High School beginning Monday, Oct. 15th. Mr. Tom Grimm will be the classroom instructor for this course. Mr. Grimm and Mr. Ryan Rump will be the behind-the-wheel instructors. Classes will run for three hours each day class is offered and the dates and times are as follows:
- Class 1 Mon. Oct. 15 6:00-9:00pm
- Class 2 Tues. Oct. 16 6:00-9:00pm
- Class 3 Wed. Oct. 17 3:45-6:30pm
- Class 4 Thurs. Oct. 18 6:00-9:00pm
- Class 5 Mon. Oct. 22 6:00-9:00pm
- Class 6 Tues. Oct. 23 6:00-9:00pm
- Class 7 Wed. Oct. 24 3:45-6:30pm
- Class 8 Thurs. Oct. 25 6:00-9:00pm
- Class 9 Fri. Oct. 26 8:00-11:00am
- Class 10 Sat. Oct. 27 8:00-11:00am
- Class 11 TBD
Families who wish to enroll their student should complete the registration form (PDF below) and return the bottom portion to the high school or middle school office, or mail the registration form to the address listed on the form.
For those families who qualify for free or reduced tuition, please indicate that on the bottom of the registration form when you return it. As a reminder, in order to receive the free and reduced benefit, students must take drivers education through the school affiliated provider (Triple ‘R’).
If you have any questions concerning the summer drivers education program at Knoxville High School, please contact Mr. Rump at 319-470-6975, or e-mail triplerdrivingschool@gmail.com. For more information, please visit www.rumpsroadrules.com.
The sixth grade language arts classes are reading the story “The Good Deed.” The story is about Heather, a girl scout, who is tasked to read to a blind elderly woman. Heather is very nervous about doing this because she has never met a blind person before. The students are doing a great job of making connections to how Heather feels throughout the story. By sympathizing with Heather’s emotions, students are able to understand the story in a whole new way. Students also enjoyed the “eye-bouquet” activity based off of descriptions that they had to listen to and then draw.
Courage Retreat
On September 6, the 7th-graders attended a Youth Frontiers retreat about Courage at the administration building. Youth Frontiers is a group that inspires character and builds positive school communities. This all day event had students participating in team building activities and games while focusing on character, civility, and community. The 7th-graders were divided into groups with a high school helper. They began the day by walking through a tunnel of high-fives from the high schoolers and into a high energy gym. The students went around the gym and shook as many hands as they could while introducing themselves with a greeting. The Stupid Human Tricks event was a lot of fun to watch! Some of those “tricks” included beautiful singing and amazing gymnastics. Our 7th-graders are very talented!
After eating lunch in their groups with their classmates, the students took part in a jump rope activity where everyone had to make it through the rope by showing courage, including the teachers! This was a great bonding activity for them. At the end of the day, the 7th-graders took time to reflect on how they could be more courageous. Some even shared their ideas with the whole group. It was a fun day, and we appreciate all who made the Youth Frontiers retreat available to us.
Kindness Retreat
Are you a Bucket Filler?
Ask any student at West Elementary and they will know that answer. As part of our PBIS program students work diligently every day to be safe, respectful, and responsible in order to earn a pom/pom or classroom ball to fill our buckets. This encourages positive behaviors for all students! On Sept. 27th we celebrated our first month of hard work with a celebration time. We had bucket filling activities to reward and encourage our students to keep doing a fabulous job on being a bucket filler.
New Faces in the Reading Room
The West Elementary Reading Room would like to introduce two Central College students doing Reading Practicums this fall. Ashley Sojka and Hannah Hall are both seniors in the Elementary Education program at Central College. They will be in the Reading Room for 45 hours this fall. Both ladies will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ashley and Hannah will be working with first grade students under the direction of Mrs. Lambirth.
Pictured above, left:
- Ashley Sojka (say-ko) is from Kalona, Iowa. She enjoys spending time with family and friends. Ashley has wanted to a teacher since she was young. She enjoyed playing school with her friends when she was little. Ashley has been in the Central Teachers Academy since beginning her education at Central College.
Pictured above, right:
- Hannah Hall is from Whiting, Iowa (Northwest Iowa). She enjoys spending time with children. She works at Vermeer Yellow Iron Daycare. She gets to spend her time working with children 6-9 years old. Hannah realized she wanted to be teacher when she was a junior in high school when she got to be a Kindergarten helper. Hannah loved being around kids and making a difference in their lives.
NAMI Basics Class Advocates for Mental Illness in Families
The Well is excited to host NAMI Basics beginning on September 25, led by volunteers Bev and Steve Roozeboom. NAMI Basics is a free, six-session program designed for parents and other family caregivers of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties. The class helps parents and other family caregivers understand the illnesses that are causing those behavioral difficulties, and the family’s critical role in helping with the treatment of those illnesses.
The Roozeboom’s are passionate about what they teach through NAMI Basics because of their own personal experiences with a child with mental health issues. “As parents of a son with a mental health diagnosis, we often felt lost and alone, not really understanding what he was experiencing or why his behaviors were as they were,” Bev Roozeboom says.
“We wish we would have discovered the NAMI Basics class when our son was younger. It is an excellent resource for parents. In NAMI Basics, parents will learn the facts about mental health conditions and how best to support their child at home, at school and when they're getting medical care. Equally important, parents will learn they are not alone. We know what they’re going through, because we have been there,” said Bev Roozeboom.
NAMI Basics will run each Tuesday at The Well starting September 25 through October 30th from 6:30-9:00 pm. The class will meet at The Well Resource Center in Pella, Iowa. There are several spots still available to attend the class. If you’re interested in participating, please call 641-621-0164 ext 706, or email info@thewelliowa.org. The Well is located at 419 E. Oskaloosa Street in Pella, Iowa.
About The Well - The Well’s mission is combining the love of Christ, the help of our communities, and the strength in every person to find hope for life. The Well is an organization of people from area churches, non-profits, businesses and foundations interested in more effectively ministering to those in need in the Pella area. Through volunteers and partnerships with churches and social service agencies, we hope to be a place of encouragement and support that connects people to necessary resources.
For more information, go to: www.thewelliowa.org
Or contact: Eden Youngberg, Director of Advancement and Marketing at edeny@thewelliowa.org or call 641-621-0164 Ext 713
Elementary PTO News
Yearbook early bird discount
There is a 15% discount on the yearbook for parents who order the yearbook before Sept. 30th.
Below is the flyer with the code to our yearbook through Treering.com for purchase. Anyone who would still like a copy of last year's yearbook may still purchase one until October as well. The 15% off discount is only good on the the current yearbook which will be published sometime in May 2019. Enter our school's passcode: 1015064502971783.
Elementary PTO Meeting Minutes are posted on our page on the district website. Click here to read and please join us at our next meeting: October 4th at 5:30pm at West Cafeteria.
Thank you!
Sarah Adams, Elem. PTO Secretary
4H Animal Science Club
Please see the information below regarding our Animal Science Club
Lauren Petersen | Office and Horticulture Assistant
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
210 N. Iowa St., Knoxville, IA 50138
(O) 641.842.2014 (C) 515.201.1082
Parents Asked to Give Insight on Childcare Needs
The Marion County Development Commission and PACE Alliance are currently conducting a child care needs assessment. We need your help to encourage parents and future parents to complete a short survey. The survey will help us identify needs and gaps in child care.
Below is a press release. There are three surveys as part of the study: survey of parents/guardians, survey of child care providers and survey of employers. All surveys will be open until October 15. We want to hear from parents from all parts of the county. Please help us spread the word either by including the link in a newsletter or other communications with parents. Let me know if you have any questions.
Link to parent/guardian survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MarionCo_childcare
Cordially,
Carla Eysink, IOM
Executive Director, Marion County Development Commission
KCSD ADMIN. OFFICE
The Panther Press is a weekly collective newsletter for parents & community members. If you have an article or flyer to share, please submit to Lisa.Willis@kcsd.k12.ia.us for consideration.
Stay connected by frequenting our website or following us on social media!
- High School: www.facebook.com/KHSPanthers/ & twitter.com/KHS_Panthers
- Middle School: www.facebook.com/PanthersKMS/ & twitter.com/Panthers_KMS
- Northstar: www.facebook.com/NorthstarElementary/ & twitter.com/MrKeitges
- West: www.facebook.com/knoxvillewestelementary/ & twitter.com/pantherswest
Email: lisa.willis@kcsd.k12.ia.us
Website: www.knoxville.k12.ia.us
Location: 309 W Main St, Knoxville, IA, United States
Phone: 641-842-6551