Garretson Blue Dragon Tales
March 2024
Superintendent News by Mr. Guy Johnson
The Garretson School District Teacher of the Year
The Garretson School District is proud to announce that this year’s teacher of the year is HS Science teacher Jacob Heumiller. Mr. Heumiller is completing his fifth year in the district, and has made a huge impact on not only our students, but also our staff.
Mr. Heumiller truly lives our school’s motto, “growing our future every child, every day.” Not only does he challenge our high achieving students in his science classes, but he also serves as one of the High School Student Support Team leaders. In that role, he has shown an ability to help staff stay focused on helping those students who have shown a need for additional support.
He was nominated by another staff member who watches him work with kids and also lead the Student Support Team in the high school. In that nomination, his colleague points out, “Inclusivity in the classroom can be difficult to achieve; attempting to meet students where they are and challenge them appropriately while not allowing them to get lost in the shuffle can be difficult. However, Mr. Heumiller not only rises to that challenge in his classroom, but he meets that challenge head on and finds success at the other end! His classroom is a space that is welcoming to any student, no matter what their walk in life is.
Mr. Heumiller builds rapport with colleagues, students and parents. It is not uncommon for him to be found brainstorming ideas with colleagues to help students best, even if that child is not in his class. Mr. Heumiller is an excellent teacher who challenges each of our students. That being said, one of his most important attributes is that he comes to school every day with a kind, genuine heart, with the intent to make a lasting impact on the students in his care.
Congratulations to Mr. Heumiller. The honor of Teacher of the Year is well deserved. He positively impacts our community, our school and the kids in our care. The world would be a better place with more people like Jacob Heumiller in it!
News from the MS/HS Principal, by Mr. Chris McGregor
National Honor Society, Scholarships, and Chess Club, Oh My!
This month I want to focus on a couple of academic items and also a fun new opportunity coming to GHS and GMS. First, it is the time of year when students are able to apply for membership in the Splitrock Chapter of the National Honor Society at Garretson High School. To be a member of the NHS, a student must excel in four areas – Scholarship (academics), Leadership, Service, and Character. Any high school student who meets the academic requirement after the first semester of their freshman year can apply. A committee will review all the applications and select members who exemplify all four of the pillars listed above. New members will be inducted at the Academic Awards Program held in May at the school. Graduating seniors who are members of the NHS will receive patches that may be worn on their gowns at the graduation ceremony. Applications are being accepted in the principal’s office until March 28th!
The second item this month is just a reminder to all seniors and parents that we are still in the middle of scholarship season! There are so many scholarships available and many that are local scholarships specifically for Garretson High School. Some scholarships require a short essay, and I want to encourage students not to be scared away from applying for a scholarship simply because an essay is a part of it. I have been on several scholarship committees and often it is a well-written essay that makes the difference. I have included below a link to a document with many, many scholarships listed for your convenience. If students or parents have questions or need help applying for scholarships, you can always call me and I’ll be glad to help.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GUhF9ZiW4y-54KhiiBEGzB3Cb1JGDuavyzgARIl0ZJk/edit?usp=sharing
To wrap things up for this month, I have something fun to announce. Starting in March, we will be starting up a Chess Club for anyone in grades 6-12 who is interested. The club will meet on the second and third Wednesday of each month for the rest of the school year at 7:30am in the school library. Novice or Grand Master Champion, all are welcome to come and play some chess. For more information please contact Mrs. Bly or Ms. Williamson.
Little Blue Dragon Corner by Mrs. Katie Hoekman, Elem. Principal
If you have read the Garretson Gazette or view the Blue Ink lately you would have seen an article about our Souper Bowl Fundraiser the elementary students help before the Super Bowl! The students had alot of fun gathering items and I was very impressed with our results! The students gathered more than 1600 pieces of food! Mrs. HV’s class came in first place, Mrs. Danforth’s in second, and Mrs. Stoterau’s in third place. Some fifth grade students help organize the food into boxes and Mrs. HV’s class helped deliver the food to the food pantry. I love seeing the student come together for a great way to support out community!
Prime Time
Last month, I wrote about the brain research and the Brain Processing Theory. I thought I would expand on that this month with a an effect called the Primacy-Recency Effect. Students best learning occurs at the beginning of the lesson. This would be considered as Prime Time 1. Prime Time 2 occurs at the end of the lesson were students remember what happens at the end of any given lesson. Students enter a Down Time that occurs just past the middle of a lesson. This is when they would be able to remember the least amount of information from a lesson. Below you will find a chart that was shared at my Instructional Leadership Training that shows Prime Time vs Down time depending on how long a lesson might be. As you will see the shorter the lesson the greater amount of Prime Time learning occurs for students.
The Prime Time of a lesson also might change due to the teacher changing things up and transitions in between different activities. This would be what you might consider as ‘chunking’ the material throughout a lesson as well or why in elementary school we ‘chunk’ our day with having other activities such as specials, recess, and transitions in the classroom from one lesson to another!
Nurse's Corner by Betsy Howe, RN, BSN
Children with Disabilities by Kayli Coburn, SPED Director
Make your summer count. Apply for free Career Exploration Camps, sponsored by Our Dakota Dreams and hosted at five universities across the state. These camps are hand-on, immersive apportunities for students to learn that their future can be fulfilling -- and fun. Apply by March 31 -- space is limited! Get more details at https://ourdakotadreams.com/elementary-middle-school/career-exploration-summer-camps/
Tech Tips w/ Mr. Matt Schrank, PK-12 Tech Coordinator
Software Updates.. Yes or No?
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m a “get rid of every red bubble notification on my phone” type of guy. So what about those pesky software updates that come on our phone’s and tablets. Should you update them right away, or wait a little while? With the new iPadOS 17, users get the option to “Beta” update. This isn’t necessary because the beta update is still working out kinks, and a lot of times Apple will have Developers test the new update to see if there are any issues. If you are not doing the Beta updates, then it is important to update your phone whenever it prompts you to. Not ONLY to get rid of those pesky red notification bubbles, BUT to keep your device running at optimum success, and to keep up with security updates. Security updates are essential to any device software and are often used when bugs or threats have found a way to infiltrate your device. So when thinking about whether or not you should update, take a look at what is actually part of that update, and if security updates are involved, take the 30 minutes or less to get your device updated.
From the Desk of the Activities Director, Kevin Steckler
“It has been said that 99% of us will go pro in something other than sports”
Each year the South Dakota High School Activities Association recognizes Activities that Qualify for the Academic Achievement Team Award. I’m proud to announce the following Fall and Winter Activities at Garretson High School have qualified for the Academic Achievement Team Award. To qualify for this award each sports team/activity whose students have a combined average GPA (grade point average) of 3.0 or higher qualify.
Fall Activities
All State Chorus
Oral Interpretation
Girls Soccer Team
Girls Cross Country Team
Boys Cross Country Team
Football Cheerleaders
Football Team
Volleyball Team
Winter Activities
All State Band
One-Act Play Cast & Crew
Band Solo
Girls Wrestling
Boys Wrestling
Girls Basketball
Boys Basketball
Congratulations to these student/athletes…we are proud of you for this achievement!
Garretson Administration and School Board
Administration
Mr. Guy Johnson, Superintendent
Mr. Chris McGregor, MS/HS Principal
Mrs. Katie Hoekman, Elem. Principal
Mr. Jacob Schweitzer, Business Manager
Mr. Matt Schrank, Technology Administrator
Mrs. Kayli Coburn, SPED Director
School Board Members
Mr. Shannon Nordstrom, President
Mr. Andy Hulscher, Vice President
Mrs. Tana Clark
Mr. Wyatt Compton
Mrs. Jodi Gloe
The Board of Education meets the second Monday of every month in the Library. All regular meetings begin @ 6:00 p.m. Agendas are available in the Superintendent's office on the Friday before any meeting. The Garretson Gazette publishes the minutes of each meeting.
The Garretson School District 49-4 resolves not to discriminate against anyone because of race, sex, creed, color, national origin or disability. Persons seeking information or having complaints may contact Supt. Guy Johnson, Garretson Schools, 505 2nd Street, Garretson, SD 57030, phone 605-594-3451, or contact Regional Director, Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, 10220 North Executive Hills Boulevard, 8th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64153-1367