The Hawkeye
West Harrison's May Newsletter
1:30 EARLY OUT on May 13 due to West Harrison hosting District Track. Please mark your calendars!!!
Mr. Marty Fonley
It is hard to believe that the school year is winding to a close. The last day for students will be May 28th with a 1:30 dismissal. It is important that we finish the year strong and take advantage of all the learning time we have available, especially after losing several months of instructional time last spring due to school closures.
James Lane Allen said, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.” That couldn’t be more true of the adults and young people associated with this district. This year has had its challenges with all that a worldwide pandemic has thrown at us but West Harrison has handled it well. From precautionary measures to quarantines to online learning to limited crowds the community, students, and faculty have taken everything in stride and made the best of difficult situations. The positive approach that has been taken by our community this school year has been inspiring and I’m happy to be part of such a wonderful community. That doesn’t happen everywhere so I want to take this chance to say thank you to all for showing great character this school year!
The end of this school year will bring the retirement of Brenda Pape. Brenda has served the school community of West Harrison, first as an elementary and later as high school secretary for thirty-one years. Over that time Brenda impacted the lives of hundreds of staff members and thousands of students. In my short time working with Brenda I have found her to be a calming influence on those around her, willing to help with anything, and a caring, compassionate ear for students, staff, and parents. How much she cares about the West Harrison family is on display on a daily basis. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with and get to know Brenda. Please join me in thanking Brenda for her years of dedication to the West Harrison family and in wishing her the best as she moves into her retirement and new role as a full-time grandmother and traveler.
Have a great summer!
Marty
Mrs. Casey Ring
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Please take a quick moment to write a note or send an email to your child's teacher(s), letting them know what kind of impact they are making on their student. As a past teacher myself, I know that a small thank you can go a long way in refreshing you and giving you that power boost you need to make it a strong finish to the school year. If you can, be specific in your note; this is especially helpful in showing just how important our teachers are to you and your child.
May is a busy month, no matter the grade! We have put together a list for our staff, detailing the end of the school year so that we can all keep track of what is happening here at school. Feel free to check it out. It is a working document; days/dates may change as needed.
Congratulations to our Seniors! Your graduation ceremony on May 16 at 3 pm will be a wonderful end to a successful career at West Harrison. It won't be, we hope, the end of your connection with West Harrison. As a graduate and alumni, you are always welcome back to the nest!
- Senior Breakfast and Graduation practice are at 8 am on May 14.
- Masks are required by all.
- We are not setting a limit on attendance.
- It is on May 16 at 3 pm in the gymnasium.
- Seniors need to arrive at 1:15 pm to prepare for the ceremony.
- The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the school's Facebook page.
Thank you, Hawkeye families, for all you have done to support West Harrison during the school year. Go you Hawkeyes!
Casey Ring
Email: cring@w-harrison.k12.ia.us
Website: www.westharrison.school
Location: 410 Pine Street, Mondamin, IA, USA
Phone: 712-646-2231
West Harrison CSD Recognizes Leaders During School Board Recognition Month
The Iowa Association of School Boards has designated May as School Board Recognition Month, this year recognizing their work in ‘Leading Through Uncharted Waters.’ As citizen leaders, West Harrison CSD board members face complex and demanding challenges. Yet few people fully understand the scope and far-reaching implications of board members’ responsibilities. All Iowa citizens should recognize the vital contributions of these elected officials and focus attention on the crucial role they play in the education of our children. Over the past year, leadership at the board table has come with challenges and decisions no one could have anticipated. School boards have made tough choices that impact the health and safety of students, staff the school community while continuing to prioritize student achievement and educational equity.
School board members come from all walks of life. Serving on the West Harrison CSD board are a Mechanical Planner, a Certified Professional Coder, a Contact Center Representative, a Retired Trust Officer/Marketing, and a Business Systems Consultant. Although they wear many hats in the workday world, school board members put on a collective hat when they get down to the business and innovation of charting the course for their school district. Board members must pull together as a team toward a universal goal—helping students achieve their potential.
The 5 members of the West Harrison CSD board establish a vision for the education program, design a structure to achieve that vision, ensure schools are accountable to the community, strongly advocate continuous improvement in student learning, and create a positive atmosphere for the entire district. To accomplish these goals, board members contribute thousands of hours each year leading their districts. Whether it be crafting policies, hiring administrators, listening to staff and student concerns, or advocating with legislators, board members always keep their eyes on the goal of student achievement. The time spent in board meetings represents just a small fraction of the hours school board members spend leading in their districts. They attend seminars and training sessions to keep current on the latest trends in educational leadership; are deeply involved in community and school activities, and they create, read and study countless reports, agendas, proposals, and other information to guide difficult decisions. Their love for learning and their commitment to the students, staff, and community served by the West Harrison CSD drives board members’ desire to help students set sail.
Join your community in saying ‘thank you’ to Randy Wohlers, Jennifer Thomas, Julie Kuhlman, Tammy Neill, and Tim Hamer for leading Iowa’s next generation through uncharted waters and recognizing their efforts throughout the year.
Deb Evans - School Nurse
May is Healthy Vision Month
Is your child a visual learner? Children have different ways of learning which the education experts have roughly grouped these into three basic styles – auditory, visual and kinesthetic. It is estimated that 80 percent of what we learn is through our vision.
Iowa Student Health Requirements under the Department of Education
Kindergarten: Vision Screening Requirements - Each public or accredited nonpublic school shall forward to the Iowa Department of Public Health evidence of each Kindergartner’s valid vision screening performed no earlier than 1 year prior to enrollment and no more than 6 months after the date of the child’s enrollment.
Third Grade: Vision Screening Requirements: Each public or accredited nonpublic school shall forward to the Iowa Department of Public Health evidence of each Third Grader’s valid vision screening performed no earlier than 1 year prior to enrollment and no more than 6 months after the date of the child’s enrollment.
Taking care of your eyes can be a priority just like eating healthy and physical activity. Healthy vision can help keep you safe each day. To keep your eyes healthy, get a comprehensive dilated eye exam: an eye care professional will use drops to widen the pupils to check for common vision problems and eye diseases. It’s the best way to find out if you need glasses or contacts, or are in the early stages of any eye-related diseases.
Nine ways you can help protect your vision
- Get regular comprehensive dilated eye exams.
- Know your family’s eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, since some are hereditary.
- Eat right to protect your sight: In particular, eat plenty of dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens, and fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, albacore tuna, trout, and halibut.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home, such as painting, yard work, and home repairs.
- Quit smoking or never start.
- Wear sunglasses that block 99 percent-100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.
- Wash your hands before taking out your contacts and cleanse your contact lenses properly to avoid infection.
- Practice workplace eye safety.
Spring Safety Tips
ü Make outdoor time a safe time – wear a helmet when riding bikes, skateboards, and scooters. Knee pads and elbow pads are easy to wear and add more protection.
ü Limit outdoor exposure when the pollen or mold counts are high if you have sensitivities. You can check daily particulate counts on the weather channel.
ü Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac contain oil causing an allergic skin reaction that looks like swollen itchy red bumps and blisters appearing wherever the oil has touched the skin. Check the areas around your home and teach your kids to recognize and avoid it.
ü Stinging insects are back – If you are stung, remove the stinger as soon as possible with a scraping motion. Wash with soap and water and apply a cold compress. If trouble breathing, severe swelling or fainting occurs, call 911 or an emergency number right away.
ü Animal bites – don’t disturb a sleeping dog or a dog that’s eating! Wash wounds well with soap and water and call the pediatrician. A tetanus or rabies shot may be needed.
ü Ticks are already a problem in our area – use tweezers or fingers to grasp as close to the head as possible and pull the tick away from where it is attached. Call the pediatrician for symptoms of a rash or fever.
ü Swimming pools will be opening this month – a great way to have some fun in the sun and spend time with family and friends. Review water and sun safety rules every day, and don’t forget to use sunscreen.
Mrs. Marshall - School Counselor
Summer is almost here! The rest of the school year will go quickly with lots happening here at school.
ISASP was just completed for all students (Iowa required state testing).
The first week of May will be Awards day for MS/HS. Students can earn awards through class grades, participation, most improvement, giving their best, and a positive attitude. The subject teacher chooses the recipient. Elementary is having an award day on the last day of school.
It is also Class Wars. This is put on by the HS Student Council yearly. 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade compete against each other in fun games such as dodgeball, musical chairs, minute to win it, and other fun activities.
The second week in May is Seniors' last week! Wednesday is Senior Night @ 6 pm when seniors receive scholarships from the community. Followed by Baccalaureate @ 7 pm. Thursday is the seniors' last day! They come in for 8 am graduation practice on Friday and then they graduate Sunday! May 16th @ 3 pm.
Congratulations to the Class of 2021! And best of luck on their next adventures!
.
Mr. Nunez - Activities Director
West Harrison Track
State Qualifying Meet Host
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
West Harrison has been chosen to host a 2021 State Qualifying Meet for boys and girls (same day) on May 13th. There are only 10 hosts in Class 1A throughout the entire state.
Such events need many volunteers. If you are interested in helping contact Tony Nunez at anunez@w-harrison.k12.ia.us or 712-646-2231.
From the Special Education Department
This has been a busy spring!
We are happy to share that we are finished with ISASP testing (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress). Testing was all done online for the first time.
In grades K-6 we have begun the final round of FAST testing (Formative Assessment System for Teachers). This is our school wide screener for reading and math. This test is given 3 times per year and helps teachers monitor student growth and make decisions about instruction.
We are also pleased to announce that the special education team is adding a new staff member. Megan Beharendt was recently hired to help students in the upper elementary. Welcome to West Harrison Megan!
We will also be restructuring the special education department which allows us to accept some new students who have been waiting to enroll at West Harrison. Families are interested in what we have to offer because we have such a comprehensive program serving students from age 3 to 21.
Coming soon….ESY (Extended School Year) services for eligible students with IEP’s. Claire White will be offering 2 weeks of summer instruction at the end of June. Angie Smith will be providing instruction by appointment for the last two weeks in June.
Finally, the Life Skills classroom enjoyed a recent trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo.
The Special EducationTeam: Angie Smith, Nikki Melby, Claire White and Drew Radloff
Ms. Sherer - 4th Grade
Hi! My name is Jami Sherer. I am currently the 4th-grade teacher here at West Harrison. This is my 23rd year of teaching. I am a 1994 graduate of West Harrison and love being able to give back to such a great place! I began teaching at West Harrison in 1998. I have taught Special Education, Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 4th grade! In my 23 years, I have also done some coaching.
I love to be able to offer the students real-life experiences, and hands-on learning as much as possible. So far this school year, we have had the opportunity to have dictionaries donated to each student in the classroom by Larry Hutchinson in memory of his wife. We have had The Cat in the Hat, and Mrs. Ring, our Principal came into the room and read us a book. We have also been able to participate in Red Ribbon Week and Homecoming week which both included dress-up days! We also collected canned goods and delivered them to the Matthew House before Christmas break. The students and their families donated items to the Matthew House instead of exchanging presents with each other. We were also able to have the FCCLA chapter come into the classroom and present a lesson to us on childcare. It was hands-on, and very good for the kids to see and learn about. We have also been doing a lot of academics this school year, including the student's favorite subject….Science (where they get to do experiments each week that go along with the lessons)! We have done units on Energize Everything, Human Machines, and Waves of Sound, and we will finish the year with our unit called Birth of Rocks. In Math we have covered Place Value, Adding/Subtracting, Multiplication/Division, Fractions/Decimals, and will finish the year with Measurement, and Geometry. In Language Arts, we are in our 5th unit. These units have taught the students about: Turning Points, Teamwork, Patterns in Nature, Puzzles and Mysteries, and Adventures by Land, Air and Water. In Social Studies we have covered: Regions of the United States, Our Government, Geography, Economics, and Holidays Around the World.
I can’t wait to keep having THE BEST YEAR EVER in 4th grade here at West Harrison!
Cat in the Hat Visit
FCCLA Child Care Presentation
FCCLA Child Care Presentation
Science Experiment
Mrs. Ring Read Us a Story
Our Mathew House Donations
Ms. Palmero - Spanish
Hola!!
In Middle school, students have been doing a great job. Although we only have class two days a week, they always try their best, but sometimes they think they will never have the chance to speak Spanish in a real situation. So we decided to have some penpals from Spain.
On the other hand, they can visit the Mondamin Public Library, and they will have the opportunity to talk to Christine, she would love to practice with them.
In Spanish 1, we are still learning basic vocabulary and having simple conversations, but the students are getting there and I am really proud of them.
In Spanish 2, I am really pushing them because I know they are going to try their best, some days are tougher than others, but we have a lot of fun together. Our Spanish conversations are more complicated than last year and they love participating in class.
In Spanish 3 and 4 we started the year having zoom conversations with Christine from the Mondamin Public Library, then we went over there again. When winter came we had zoom meetings and we resumed the activity in person in April when the weather was nicer.
We also worked with younger kids at school, making masks for the Day of the Dead. We built our Falla in March as we have been doing traditionally, and this year there were 4 topics: Hollywood, Vegas, New York, and Florida. We burnt it on April 22nd, and we also had hot chocolate and churros bought with the money donated by Kenna Hesterkamp, Rachael Olson, Zoe Etter, Maren Evans, and Sage Wallis. It was a great celebration for the kids. It has been a good year after all.
Good news for next year, we are offering Elementary Spanish I and II for IWCC college credit, and students will get a dual credit when they take that class. I am really excited and happy for them!.
Thank you everybody for your support!!