MCSD Virtual Backpack
Updated: December 21, 2018
Check out recently added backpack items as well as those that are still relevant for the upcoming month!
~Recently Added Items~
Boys Basketball Clinic 2018
All boys in grades 1 – 6 are invited to participate in the Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department’s Boys Basketball Clinic! Learn the fundamentals of basketball through ball handling, shooting, and defensive techniques. Registration is limited to 20 boys per age group. All participants will receive a t-shirt. Register Now! www.muscatineiowa.gov/registration
Soccer Skills Clinic 2018
Grade Level: K-3 Dates: Saturdays, January 5-26, 2019
The Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department is offering a Soccer Skills Clinic for boys and girls. Learn the fundamental skills of soccer through fun drills and scrimmages. Staff will lead the children in this instructional program once a week for four weeks. All participants will receive a t-shirt. Deadline to register is January 2, 2019. Register at: www.muscatineiowa.gov/registrationSensory-Friendly IMAX Film at the Putnam
Grade Level: ALL DATE: January 13, 2019
The Putnam Museum is hosting another sensory-friendly film event! “Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation” will premiere in its sensory-friendly version on the Putnam GIANT Screen Theater on Sunday, January 13 at 2:00 p.m.
The film will be modified to be “friendlier” to the senses. Changes to the environment and film experience include: theater lights dimmed but not turned off, volume turned down, all movies in 2D and few to no trailers before the film. The GIANT Screen Theater is fully accessible.
Patrons can move around and make noise during the show as well as bring in outside food and drink to suit their dietary needs. A designated “chill out zone” is available outside of the theater, providing additional comfort for all guests.
ALL ticket prices will be $5 per person using promo code ASQC at checkout. We hope to see you there!
Please visit putnam.org/Movies/Featured/Sensory-Friendly-Films for more information. Sensory-friendly screenings of documentaries on the GIANT Screen will be offered every second Sunday of the month.
Gilda's Club Teen Essay Contest Application 2018-2019
Are you a cancer survivor? Have you helped a family member or friend deal with cancer? How did you learn to live with cancer?
A cancer diagnosis can unleash a storm of emotions, questions and unexpected discoveries, not just for the person with cancer, but for the whole family, and even their friends. We are looking for honest, detailed personal essays by young writers (11th-12th grade) who demonstrate an authentic ability to move readers by sharing their experience with cancer. We have two $1000 prizes! • Essay and completed contest entry form must be submitted by mail or email (in PDF format), postmarked by 2/1/2019. • The essay must be typed, double-spaced, and 500 to 2000 words long. • Essays will be read by a panel of celebrity judges: Paula Sands - Paula Sands Live, Denise Hnytka - WQAD, & John Marx - The Dispatch-Argus. Please contact Kelly Craft, Program Manager at 563.326.7504 or email kcraft@gildasclubqc.org for more information. To apply, visit www.gildasclub.org/teenessay
~Past Items Still Relevant~
Winter Break Activities at the Y!
The Muscatine Community YMCA will be hosting afternoon activities over Winter Break from 1-4pm. The activities are free and open to all 5th-8th graders. Join the Y on the 26th for a Movie Day complete with popcorn and hot chocolate, the 27th for 3 on 3 Basketball, the 28th for Nerf Wars, and Jan. 2nd for Dodgeball. The Y will also be holding a Super Sitters Class for 11-14 year-olds on the 27th and 28th from 9am-3pm, $20 for members and $40 for nonmembers, registration is required. For more information, contact Amy Hessel at the Y, 263.9996.
First Day Hikes - Iowa DNR
Grade Level: ALL DATE : January 1, 2019
Start the year outdoors by kicking off 2019 with a winter hike in an Iowa State Park! Join others at Wildcat Den State Park on January 1, 2019, at 1 p.m. in the Upper Picnic Area Shelter for a 1.3 mile hike! See the flyer for more details and cancellation information due to inclement conditions. iowadnr.gov/firstdayhikes
Girl Scouts Cookie Rally - January 11, 2019
Girl Scouts, join us for cookie rally on January 11, 2019 from 6-8:30pm. Register for the event at www.girlscoutstoday.org.
Muscatine-Japan Youth Exchange Program
Grade Level: 6-12 DATE: January 16, 2019
Description: Do you want to learn more about the Muscatine-Japan Youth Exchange Program? If so, come and find out how you can host a Japanese student this summer at an informational meeting on January 16th at 6:30pm in the Commons. Any student who hosts on Japanese student for a week this summer will have the opportunity to travel to Japan in the summer of 2020 for just the cost of their flight. Through this experience, your child will get to know more about the Japanese culture, make lasting friends, and have wonderful experiences. Please see the attached flyers for more information. Contact Heather Clark (heather.clark@mcsdonline.org) at MHS or Lynn Kirby (lynn.kirby@mcsdonline.org) at CMS for more information.
Winter Camps through ISU Extension
Grade Level: 1-6 DATE: January 21, 2019 and February 18, 2019
Description: Muscatine County Extension and Outreach is offering two great camps during no-school days. Registration Deadline: The Thursday before each camp. Below is the flyer and registration form.
Putnam Museum
Here is the calendar of events for December-January at the Putnam. Also, experience volcanoes up close and personal at the IMAX!
~Ongoing Events Throughout the Year~
McFamily Nights
Grade Level: ALL DATE: Every 3rd Thursday
Description: McFamily Nights are free to the community on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 7pm. On these nights McDonald’s host free crafts and activities for kids. The next McFamily night is on October 18th, where there will be a pumpkin and cartoon ghost craft in the McDonald’s Play Place.
Sew Circle Club - ISU Extension/4-H
Grade Level: 4-12 DATE: Second Monday of the Month!
Description: The Sew Creative 4-H club focuses on helping members learn to sew through individual and group service projects. This club, open to any 4th-12th grade student, meets once a month on the second Monday. No sewing experience required!
Putnam Explorer and Jr. Explorer
Grade Level: PK-5th DATE: October 2018 through May 2019
Description: Check out the Putnam Explorer and Jr. Explorer Events happening throughout the school year!
MCSD Communications
Email: info@mcsdonline.org
Website: www.muscatine.k12.ia.us
Location: 2900 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine, IA, USA
Phone: (563) 263-7223
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuscatineSchools/
Twitter: @muscatinecsd