Fowler USD #225
November 2019 Newsletter
Where Education is Experienced
Email: erarden@usd225.org
Website: www.usd225.org
Location: 100 East 8th Avenue, Fowler, KS, USA
Phone: 620-646-5661
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fowler-USD-225-121272627970328/?ref=ts
Veteran's Day Program
Community Meal & Thanksgiving Break
You are invited to Fowler Schools annual Thanksgiving meal.
On Thursday, November 21, 2019 beginning at 11:00 AM, Fowler Schools will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving meal for students, staff, and family members. This event will be held in the grade school cafeteria. The cost is $6.00 per meal. If you would like to join your child(ren) for this festive event, please R.S.V.P. by November 11, 2019. You can R.S.V.P. by completing the form sent home with your child or by emailing erarden@usd225.org.
Goldbug Apparel
Family Dinner Night
A free family meal will be provided, followed by elementary students presenting about our school, and ending with a family STEM activity in the STEM Lab. At least one parent must attend with their children.
Registration forms were sent home in your child's folder. They are due October 31st.
Review of the 7 Habits
Educator Mindsets about Learners and Learning
Seven high school staff members attended the Fall Convening for Summit Learning on October 17th & 18th. The professional development offered through these convenings is always phenomenal, and this experience was no different. While teachers learned how to plan for high rigor and customization in the classroom, administrators learned how to provide feedback related to rigor and customization on lesson plans and classroom observations. In addition, the team reflected upon the mindsets we have about learners and learning, which are listed below:
- Every child can achieve at the highest levels.
- Children learn best as active participants in the process of acquiring knowledge.
- Students' investment in their learning is the shared responsibility of educators and students.
- Every child is unique in key ways (strengths, needs, identities, and life context)- "one size fits all" fits no one.
- Positive relationships are foundational to a child's sense of safety, belonging, and willingness to challenge themselves.
- Children must be equipped to be lifelong learners, armed with the skills and habits to keep learning and growing as they face new context in and beyond their school.
In addition, our team reflected upon the positive changes we have seen in our students.
- "Our students are more empowered as learners. You can hear this in the language they use during conversations as they set goals and explain their plans to complete projects and prepare for assessments. They also often have a back-up plan in case they don't meet their initial goal. I very rarely hear students say they don't know what they need to do anymore." - Mrs. McDowell
- "I believe that our students have become far more self-directed: they're no longer satisfied with just being told what to do. Instead, I now see students actively seeking connections between their learning and their real life and contextualizing these concepts independently. I also see this self-direction impulse carry through when I take students to outside events. I never have to worry that my students going on field trips are disengaged, apathetic, or poorly behaved: often, these Fowler students are the epitome of mature behavior and curiosity." - Ms. Adams
- "Students are thinking like mathematicians and applying knowledge through multiple real world scenarios." - Mr. T. Bollinger
- "Something that I've noticed is that students are starting to take opportunities to challenge themselves to grow. Some examples I've seen of this have been self regulating and recognizing that they need to sit away from certain individuals that they know distract them. I'm super proud of more than a few of them for doing this." - Mr. Adams
- "Students are figuring out what strategies work for passing focus areas and create their own routines out of those strategies." - Ms. Gipson
- "I find that students are taking ownership of their learning. They are goal oriented and reflective of both long and short term goals. Their educational achievements are now meaningful and relevant to them in a very deep and personal way.β - Mrs. Bollinger
βAt its very core, redesign is about getting kids to learn how to think critically and solve problems through their own lens without having to be told how to do it. These are the most important skills that will determine the level of success they will achieve for their own life.β - Mr. J. Bollinger
Quarter Reward Qualifiers
Middle School: Landon Bollinger, Kate Cunningham, Wolfe Self, & Abby Zortman
High School: Avery Bollinger, Sydney Bollinger, Darien De La Torre, Caleb Heinz, & Jahim Ross
These middle school students earned the privilege of free time in the student lounge during seminar, while the high school students earned the privilege of open lunch.
Student Activities
Cross Country Success
Elijah Zortman, sophomore, has pushed himself to the brink of greatness in his difficult and demanding practices. His continual effort to improve his time has paid off as he took first place at South Central on October 17th followed by second place at Regionals on a difficult course. As Elijah prepared for the state meet at Wamego, he continued in his mindset that good is never good enough. Elijah earned 12th place at state with a personal record time of 18:00. Congrats Elijah!
Fall Senior Night
Blaze Bilodeau- football
Sydney Bollinger- volleyball
Tabitha Dawson- volleyball
Darien De La Torre- football