ENSC Family Notes
February 16, 2016
April 25 - Flex Day
ENSC will hold a second Flex Day on Monday, April 25. Like the previous Flex day, the district will hold professional development for its staff. This flexibility in scheduling is extremely beneficial and allows staff to focus on curriculum and instruction which impacts students. We appreciate the confidence the IDOE has given East Noble School Corporation to hold these days.
Digital Learning Day
On Wednesday, February 17, East Noble School Corporation will be celebrating National Digital Learning Day by teachers and technology integration specialists tweeting out pictures of students and teachers learning through the use of technology. Digital Learning Day is a time for us to highlight great teaching practices and showcase innovative teachers and instructional technology programs that improve student learning. It’s a great day for us to take a step back, reflect upon how far we’ve come since going 1:1 five years ago, and to show off all of the ways we use technology to improve the learning experience in our schools.
This Wednesday, follow the hashtags #whyitech and #ENSCBecause on Twitter and Instagram to get a glimpse of the innovative teaching and learning going on at East Noble that day--and every day.
Dates of Interest
- We are just six weeks away from spring break which will begin on Good Friday, March 25 - April 10. This is an excellent opportunity for students to take a break from their studies and enjoy some down time.
- The last day of school for the school year is Friday, May 27. This is the Friday before Memorial Day and the earliest East Noble School Corporation has ended the school year in many, many years!
- East Noble High School Graduation will be held Sunday, June 5, 2 p.m.
Unsung Hero
This week, the ENSC Technology Department is proud to nominate Jenny Newton for the Unsung Hero of the Week. East Noble was fortunate to steal Jenny away from a lucrative programming job in 2004. Since then, she has become an integral part of the technology department and performs vital roles for the district that have far-reaching implications. Jenny’s official title is “Data Manager,” and that’s exactly what she does; anything in our district that has to do with data--such as all of our state testing, NWEA, Canvas, the lunch program, transportation schedules, you name it--Jenny is the person that pulls that data and loads it where it needs to be in the correct format so that it works properly. Another extremely important job Jenny does is that of State Reports. For those of you that don’t know, school corporations must provide endless reports to the IDOE several times throughout the year. Incorrect data or failure to submit these forms on time can potentially cost school districts thousands of dollars. Jenny is extremely knowledgeable about these state reports and is well respected by her colleagues for that knowledge. She is always willing to help people, and her commitment to East Noble School Corporation is demonstrated by her willingness to do what needs to be done at any hour of the day and even on her days off; many times Jenny can be found working online at horse shows even on days that she has taken as vacation. Thank you, Jenny, for the hard work you do each day for the students and staff members of East Noble School Corporation.
Building Notes
East Noble High School
There is often a lot of comparisons between public education and charter schools. The politics surrounding the best way to educate our children can get heated at time. One of the key differences between public and non-public schools is the philosophy that all children are welcome in the public setting. Our goal is to provide an education to all young people to maximize his or her potential. That means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some it means preparing them for an Ivy League education and for others it’s learning to use technology to engage in a conversation. We value all of our children and work hard to provide each student with an education that betters his or her life.
The ENHS Special Education Department is currently preparing some senior students for early graduation. Trimester three ends February 19th. Senior special education students are in the process of meeting with their TOR’s for senior exit conferences before transitioning into the next phase of adulthood. Our students are engaged with some pretty amazing opportunities. Whether it’s running a restaurant or a tee-shirt business, our kids are given the chance to learn skills that’ll last them a life time. Many of our students go off site to work within the community as they strengthen their work skills. It’s amazing to see the confidence and smiles from kids as they accomplish their goal.
The department is also beginning to work with the ENMS Special Education Staff to coordinate plans for the transition of 8th graders to the high school in the fall of 2016. We welcome all students and it starts early. We have high expectations and will support their growth as members of ENHS.
East Noble Middle School
Parent teacher conferences were held on Thursday, February 11, which marked the midpoint of our third quarter. While it wasn't a huge turnout, there were many positive comments and conversations that took place.
Staff members have enjoyed a baby picture contest and a Goosechase. The Goosechase has led teachers to discovering some new tech tools and using them in their classroom, as well as just having a great time competing against the other staff teams with fun missions like parking in the "chief's" spot. :)
Avilla Elementary
This past Tuesday evening OUR PTO sponsored a skate night! Over 190 skaters did their thing and well over 200 students and families attended. We are very blessed to have such a great PTO and a great community supporting all of OUR kids. Thanks to all those that put this together and thank you to everyone for attending!
The 2016 Avilla Science Fair was held on Thursday, February 11th. We had 15 students’ present projects this year and with the help from East Noble High School teacher, Mr. Liepe, and ENHS students. OUR winning students will move on to the Regional Science Fair at Trine University on March 19. Congratulations goes out to Hailey Holbrook, Nolan Kloer, Gabe McCord, Molly McCord, and Laure Munson for advancing. We wish them all the best at regionals! Science Fair participants will have the opportunity to share their projects with fellow classmates and the community on Friday, February 19th from 6:00-6:30 PM.
Please plan on attending Friday night, February 19! Beginning at 6:30 we will be hosting BINGO Night! A night of family bingo will be a great way to kick-off your weekend! Please mark your calendars!
Parent/Teacher conferences will be held this Tuesday, February 23rd beginning at 3:30. Students will be bringing home information about the upcoming conferences one day this week. If you have questions please contact your child’s classroom teacher. The conferences run until 7:00 and the time for each conference will be limited, so that teachers can meet with as many families as possible. Thank you in advance for being flexible with us.
North Side Elementary
This week students were working on research with a purpose during library. They had to research three things. The first investigation was how to find target heart rate. Next, what is the average heart rate at rest. The last inquiry was what does their heart rate become after vigorous activity. Using marshmallows and toothpicks they took their heart rate then they had to do 20 jumping jacks and find out what it was after the jumping jacks. The kids had a blast! The Wildcats ended the week, of course, by celebrating the upcoming three day weekend and Valentine's day holiday with a little fun in the classroom.
Rome City Elementary
Rome City halls were full of Science this week. Our fourth grade Romans have spent time learning about types of energy and how it is converted to electricity. This week they experimented with electric current by constructing snap circuits to run radios, motors, and light bulbs. What an awesome hands on example of energy!
Our third grade Romans created wheel and axles in science. Students read a how-to article about wheels and axles. They used the steps in the article to create their own wheel and axles out of paper, yarn, pencils, and washers. Students used the SeeSaw app to record a video of their simple machine in action.
The school Science Fair was held this week and approximately 50 projects from grades three, four, five, and six were completed for judging. Thursday night we also hosted a Science night! About 48 IPFW students came and shared a Science topic/experiment with the students and families in attendance. There was a great turn out and many things were learned by all in attendance.
South Side Elementary
South Side’s National Elementary Honor Society has been busy this month with a food drive for our local Friendship Food Pantry. Students contributed nearly four hundred pounds of food for this cause! They set a very ambitious goal, and while they didn’t quite meet it, the food they gathered will be a great benefit to those who need it. We are very proud of our NEHS for all of their ongoing efforts in our community.
This month’s students of the month earned the most Dojo points in their class during the month of December. They were: Joseph Rugg, Jade Collar, Milli Dominguez, Olivia Halbert, Kyle Harrington, Owen Diehl, Alexander Bowers, Gustavo Barrientos, Reese Rouch, Dylan Bailey, Jordan Rusmisel, Brayden Colbert, Jillian Colbert, Cody Iton-ey, Mikiah McDonald, Jacob Everson, Makynzie Anderson, and Melissa McIntosh. Way to show leadership, Trailblazers!
Wayne Center Elementary
This week has been a busy one in second grade. Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Bolllman have been working with Mrs. Rathke to implement the Daily 3 during their math time. Students have been working on their new Daily 3 math procedures. They have been learning Math by Myself, Math with Someone, and Math in Writing. Students are enjoying the choices they are able to make during this time. They are also learning how working with someone can help their understanding of math concepts.
Second graders have also been working to learn about the phases of the moon. As a final project, they used Oreos to make their favorite two moon phases and had to name the phases correctly before they ate them. Yummy! They have also been working to learn more about the authors Kevin Henkes and Margie Palatini. These are definitely authors who have written some books that are fun to read with a partner.
For some Valentine’s Day fun, students showed off their graphing skills by graphing the different colors of conversation hearts that were in their box. They had a lot of fun with this activity.
East Noble School Corporation
Email: alinson@eastnoble.net
Website: eastnoble.net
Location: 126 West Rush Street, Kendallville, IN, United States
Phone: 260-347-2502
Facebook: facebook.com/eastnoble
Twitter: @ENobleSchCorp