Messenger - Indianola Community Schools

Indianola Community Schools
Messenger
Superintendent’s Corner
Mike Teigland, Ph.D.
An outstanding year for the Indianola School District
Proud Traditions...
Unlimited Possibilities...
Inside this issue:
The 2011-12 school year has been another year of outstanding accomplishments and improvements in the Indianola district. We are very proud of our
students, including two high school students, Peter Anderson and Zach Bales,
who were named national merit finalists. The group of finalists represents less
than one percent of high school seniors nationwide. Another high school student, Dan Moline, was a National Merit Commended Scholar. Indianola teachers and staff continue to make our district one of the best in the state. Our
Iowa Assessment results in reading, math and science are very impressive.
Over 90 percent of our high school students are proficient in these curricular
areas.
Teacher Retirements & New Hires
2
Weekly Early Dismissal
3
Together We’re
Better - Improvement Efforts
3
Middle School Ribbon Cutting & Open
House
3
Get Healthy in Middle School
4
August Back to
School Dates
5
When our school year began last fall, our PK-12 enrollment was up by about
40 students. Although we may experience a slight decline occasionally, the
long-term enrollment projections for the Indianola School District look good.
2012-13 Important
Calendar Dates
6
New athletic classifications
The Art and Athletics of Indianola
7
“An investment in knowledge
always pays the best interest.”
-Attributed to Benjamin
Franklin
U.S. News and World Report magazine has selected Indianola High School as
one of the 10 best in Iowa. The publication reviewed 21,776 high schools nationwide. From that, 12 Iowa high schools were named silver medal schools —
IHS being one of them.
92 schools earned a bronze ranking. U.S. News ranked the schools using a
three-tier process; assessing state proficiency ratings in math and reading,
scores and success of the school’s “least-advantaged students,” and subsequently, advanced placement testing. For more detail on the ranking selection
and to see a complete list of recipients visit: http://www.usnews.com/besthigh-schools/features/bhs-homepage
Our girls athletic classifications will take on a new look. The Iowa Girls High
School Athletic Union will now have five classifications and Indianola will be
considered a 4A school. Many of the larger districts will join a new 5A classification. In 4A football, Indianola will join a new division this fall. Our fall
schedule will involve 4A teams from the central and western parts of Iowa
along with a couple of 3A schools. In other boys and girls sports, Indianola
will leave the C.I.M.L. Central Conference this fall and join the C.I.M.L. Metro
Conference.
Time study
Another major accomplishment in our district this past year was at the K-5
level. Our elementary principals completed a thorough time study of a typical
school day. The reason was to see if more instructional time could be provided
for math, science, reading, written language and social studies. The study
looked at everything, including when the first student was picked up by the
bus early in the morning and when the last student was dropped off at home.
Other considerations included the time needed for breakfast, recesses, lunch
and various subjects being taught throughout the day. Now that the study is
done, we are making several changes and adjustments to provide more time
for the core academic areas. Significantly more minutes will be included in
each school day for core academic learning.
(Continued on page 2.)
Congratulations to our 2012
graduates!
Indianola Community Schools
Page 2
Superintendent’s Corner
New ground
(Continued )
The City of Indianola is ready to break ground on a YMCA facility. This project will
get started early this summer and should be completed by August 2013. Although
the building will be owned by the City of Indianola, Simpson College and our school
district are also contributing to help build a competitive swimming pool. The pool
will be used by the Indianola High School Swim Team, Simpson College Swim Team,
Indianola Youth Swim Team and the community.
It’s been a tremendously exciting and successful year in our school district with
more great challenges ahead in the next academic year. We look forward to continued progress in working with our teachers, staff and the community to make learning a great experience for our Indianola students.
“ I have come to believe that a great
Thank you to our teachers
A very special thanks to another outstanding group of teachers who retired at the end of this
school year:
teacher is a great
artist, and that there
are as few as there
are other great artists. Teaching might
even be the greatest
of the arts since the
Nancy Cullen 3rd Grade
Betsy Gates At - Risk
Sheila Hraha 2nd Grade
Ginger Sirianni Reading
Mark Tucker P.E
Ellen Welborn 5th Grade
medium is the human
mind and spirit.”
-John Steinbeck
What’s on your mind?
Do you have any suggestions, ideas
or input for the good of Indianola
Community Schools? We’d love to
hear it. Send your comments to
Dr. Teigland at:
[email protected]
New Hires for Next Year
Craig Calhoun—Assistant High School Principal
Kent Halstead—Middle School Social Studies Teacher & Varsity
Volleyball Coach
Clint Manny—Middle School P.E. Teacher & Varsity Wrestling Coach
Matt Young—Assistant Varsity Wrestling Coach
Adam Graham—Varsity Boy’s Basketball Coach
Sarah Baker—Middle School At-Risk Teacher
Lindsey Bruner—Middle School Vocal Music
Teacher
Linda Warner—High School Science Teacher
June 2012
Page 3
Weekly Early Dismissal Starts this August
For the upcoming 2012-13 school year all schools will have a one-hour early
dismissal every Wednesday afternoon to provide teaching staff with consistent, quality collaboration time. This decision was given final approval by the
school board after several months of planning and important conversations
with nearly 500 school employees and the community. We believe the additional collaboration time will help our staff better meet the needs of approximately 3,400 students.
During the past couple of years a significant number of Indianola staff members have attended Professional Learning Communities (PLC) training.
Through data collection and problem-solving efforts, staff members are able
to make changes in their practice by implementing best-practice teaching
strategies and continuously supporting each other and monitoring the results.
This process gives teachers an awareness of what each student needs to be
academically successful and challenged, and helps them to address these five
guiding questions:
One hour early dismissal every
Wednesday afternoon.
1.
What do we want our students to learn?
“We are extremely
2.
How will we know when they have learned it?
proud of the tre-
3.
How will we teach it?
mendous progress
4.
How will we respond when students don’t learn it?
our 2nd graders
5.
What will we do when students have already learned it?
made this year. We
To answer these questions, teachers will now have the time to work in teams
and collaborate on a consistent, weekly basis. Starting with the first week of
class for both the traditional and year-round calendar, a one-hour early dismissal will occur every Wednesday throughout the district.
Together We’re Better
You may not realize that we are always working on continuous improvement
within our district throughout the school year. Here are a few examples of the
types of groups that exist to further good communication and teamwork on
behalf of our schools and students:

Building Leadership Teams exist at every building that allows teachers
and administrators to share recommendations and concerns.

A District Leadership Team comprised of teachers and administrators
meets monthly to plan and review recommendations for professional
development and other school improvement initiatives.

A Teacher Quality Committee also meets with central office administration quarterly to discuss various topics.

Our School Improvement Advisory Committee is made up of community representatives and meets monthly with district administration.
Any community member is welcome to attend. This committee meets
the third Monday of every month in the board room at the Administration building from 5:45-6:45 p.m. Please join us if you are interested.

The annual negotiation process between the Indianola Education Association and Indianola School Board occurs annually. There may not
always be agreement, but the overall negotiation process and relationship is very cordial and professional.
are excited about the
potential impact on
student achievement
that next year’s increased collaboration
will bring!” -Wilder
2nd grade teachers
Indianola Community Schools
Page 4
Get Healthy in Middle School
Congratulations to the middle school for receiving the Fuel Up to Play 60 Grant. The grant
amount of $4,000 is being used to promote the Grab n Go breakfast and to purchase
pedometers, activity monitors and heart rate monitors. The grant will also pay for advertising posters, prizes and incentives for the kids that participate in activities. The
goal — increase the number of students eating school breakfast by offering something
different & nutritious and to increase physical activity. Sixth graders next year will get
to participate in FITNESSGRAM, sponsored by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.
The middle school also received a $500 grant by attending the Healthier U.S. School
Challenge (HUSSC) workshop. That grant will support the a`la carte program at the
school as they move to take items off the menu that are not as nutritional as the standards require and replace them with healthier options.
The middle school is anticipating a $1,500 Gold Award by the HUSSC for its outstanding food service program. In the future, there will be an opportunity for all elementary schools to apply. Special thanks to Food Service Director Jim Rupp for helping the middle school with this process; and to Penney Arey, middle school health
teacher, and the Indianola Wellness Committee for leading the initiatives!
Save the Date!
Middle School Ribbon Cutting and Open House Sunday,
August 19th at 2:00p.m.
Middle School Grants
and Award:

Fuel Up to Play 60

Healthier U.S.
School Challenge

HUSSC Gold
A significant portion of the Indianola Middle School expansion/renovation project is
now complete and the remaining work will be finished and ready for the first day of
school Monday, August 20th.
The career and technical programs and art classrooms have already moved into a new
addition attached to the south side of the existing building. The guidance and administrative office areas are also completed.
Perhaps the most visible piece of the project includes a field house being added onto
the east side of the existing facility. This facility will include four basketball courts
and two recreation tracks. The field house will be used for numerous activities from
early morning until late evening. A significant portion of the field house project was
made possible by a generous $1,000,000 donation from Casey and Abbie Blake and
matching funds raised by the Indianola Community Youth Foundation (ICYF).
The fine arts areas are currently being renovated and the overall square footage will
increase dramatically to nearly 16,000-square-feet. The middle school expansion/
renovation project also includes the lunchroom and media center. Those areas will be
expanded during the next three months.
The entire project is on track to be completed at the beginning of the school year. A
ribbon cutting and community open house is being planned for Sunday, August 19 th at
2:00p.m. More detailed information will go out later this summer. Please mark your
calendars and plan to attend!
Dr. in the House
Congratulations to High School Principal, Trent
Grundmeyer for earning his Ph.D. from Iowa State
University this spring. What a huge accomplishment and a great example for all of us on setting
and achieving goals. Way to go Dr. Grundmeyer!
Page 5
Looking Ahead to the 2012-13 School Year
First Day of School
Proud Traditions...
Unlimited Possibilities...
Year-Round Education
Traditional Calendar
July 12
August 20
Purple and Gold Early Childhood Programs
Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten and
Early Childhood Special Education
August 29
Registration

Registration information for 2012-13 was sent home with students on Monday, April 9th.
Please return this information as soon as possible if you haven’t done so already.

Registration for new K –12 students is ongoing. Registration will originate at the district’s
Administrative Office, 1304 East Second Avenue. Please contact Julie Ormsby if you have
registration questions.
Phone: 515.961.9500 ext 1506
Email: [email protected]

Registration requirements can be found on the district’s website: www.indianola.k12.ia.us
Open House

Purple and Gold Early Childhood Programs
August 27
Preschool and Early Childhood Special

Education at Whittier
6:00pm—7:00pm
Transitional Kindergarten at Wilder
6:00pm—7:00pm
Elementary
Year-Round
6:00pm—7:00pm
Traditional

August 16
Emerson
6:00pm—7:00pm
Whittier
6:00pm—7:00pm
Wilder
6:00pm—7:00pm
Middle School
6th Grade Orientation
August 16
Legacy Team
6:00pm—7:00pm
Discovery Team
6:00pm—7:00pm
7th—8th Grades

July 11
6:00pm—7:00pm
High School
9th Grade / New Student Orientation
Auditorium
5:30pm—6:15pm
August 15
9th Grade / New Student Open House
6:15pm—7:30pm
August 15
10th—12th Grade Open House
4:30pm—6:00pm
August 15
Important Dates for 2012-13
Traditional Calendar
August 20
First day of School
September 3
No School / Labor Day
October 19
End of 1st Quarter
October 29 & Nov 1
Conferences
November 2
No School
November 22 & 23
No School / Thanksgiving Break
December 20
End of 2nd Quarter
December 21
No School / Work Day
December 24—Jan 2
No School / Christmas Break
February 11 & 14
Conferences
February 15
No School
March 15
End of 3rd Quarter
March 18—22
No School / Spring Break
May 14
Last Day for Seniors
May 19
Graduation
May 21
Last Day of School
*Weekly Early Dismissal: Beginning August 22nd there will be a weekly, 1 hour early
dismissal on Wednesdays for professional development
Year-Round Calendar
July 12
First Day of School
August 16 – 17
No School / Professional Development
September 3
No School / Labor Day
September 17—21
Conferences
September 21
End of 1st Quarter
September 24 – Oct 12
Intersession / Fall Break
November 2
No School
November 22 – 23
No School / Thanksgiving Break
December 20
End of 2nd Quarter
December 21
No School / Work Day
December 24 – Jan 2
No School / Christmas Break
February 11 & 14
Conferences
February 15
No School
March 1
End of 3rd Quarter
March 4 – 22
Intersession / Spring Break
May 21
Last Day of School
*Weekly Early Dismissal: Beginning July 18th there will be a weekly, 1 hour early
dismissal on Wednesdays for professional development
Page 6
June 2012
Page 7
The Art and Athletics of Indianola
Communities across Iowa provide tremendous support for their fine arts and athletic
programs. And the support we receive in Indianola is outstanding. These opportunities allow students to get involved in numerous activities at a young age. The Indianola Parks and Rec., Indianola Youth Football League (IYFL), Indianola Basketball Association (IBA), Soccer Tribe, Indianola Little League and Indianola Softball do an outstanding job of providing our youth with many physical activities throughout the
school year.
It’s interesting to note that MLB player and Indianola graduate, Casey Blake, was a
four-sport standout in high school. He played baseball, football, basketball and participated in track. Casey’s a terrific example of a well-rounded athlete who took advantage of all Indianola has to offer.
The Eighth Grade Show Choir, “Side
Effects,” performs at the Omaha Battle
of the Show Choirs competition.
But it doesn’t end with athletics. Our school district provides general music classes
beginning in kindergarten and when students enter fifth grade, instrumental music
and orchestra are also added to the curriculum. We are fortunate to have a strong
orchestra program. Many other districts of similar size enrollments (approximately
3,400) do not offer orchestra.
“We have some AMAZ-
Flourishing fine arts programs
ING young people in the
We will not waiver on our commitment to the fine arts and all they have to offer our
youth. The enthusiasm around the middle school vocal music program is amazing.
The numbers speak for themselves:

There are 850 students enrolled in our 6th, 7th and 8th grade middle school
music programs

Out of 850 students, 610 students are in chorus with Vocal Music Instructor,
Melody Clutter

About 140 7th and 8th grade middle school students are involved in show
choir and recently won a four-state middle school show choir competition in
Omaha, Nebraska

An additional full-time middle school vocal music teacher was hired for the
upcoming school year

Plus an assistant middle school show choir director was hired to provide
more support
Indianola School District. This is a reflection on the Indianola
community and the
expectations we have
for our young people!”
-Jori Coghlan, high
school guidance
counselor
The vocal department at the high school is also seeing a significant increase in student numbers and experiencing much success. Additional support for vocal directors, Julie Schneiders and Val Hagener, will increase during the next school year.
The Pride of Indianola High School Marching Band is a bright spot in our music program. The band’s performances on Friday nights at Buxton Stadium and at marching
band contests is one of the highlights every fall. Our high school debate team is
thriving. In recent years winning state championships and qualifying for national
tournaments. The success continues in our art department, speech, theatre and
many other small group activities in instrumental and vocal music. Our teachers are
outstanding in these departments and the parental support is second to none.
Other news for the upcoming year in the fine arts department include increasing
earnings for the following positions and sponsors:
High School Drama both fall and spring
Drill Team Sponsor
Flag-Squad Marching Band
High School Newspaper
Middle School 7th & 8th grade Show Choir
High School Show Choir
High School Vocal
-Continued on page 8
Side Effects takes first place at the
Omaha Battle of the Show Choirs
competition.
The Art and Athletics of Indianola
Page 8
(Continued)
In addition to these changes, positions that were deemed as assistants have also increased to
the same pay as the director.
Dr. Teigland has served for the past several years on the Iowa High School Music Association
Executive Council. The K-12 Fine Arts programs probably receive more attention in Iowa than
in any other state in the country. The Indianola School District is recognized and excels at the
state level.
Creative thinkers
We’ve also made significant improvements recently in our fine arts facilities. A major renovation and addition a few years ago enhanced the high school vocal, instrumental and orchestra
departments. Our high school auditorium and lobby areas have been renovated. The middle
school is currently in the midst of a major construction/renovation project. Two new art classrooms have been added and the orchestra, vocal and instrumental programs will soon be moving into a new 16,000- square-foot facility to help meet their needs.
Our high school auditorium is a hub of student and parent activity after school and in the evenings. During the past school year the auditorium was used 175 times for public or practice
performances.
The Indianola School District takes pride in the fact that we are able to recruit and retain quality teachers. One of the key reasons is due to a very competitive teacher salary schedule. Currently the average teacher salary in Indianola is $58,443 which is the second highest amongst
public schools in Iowa*. For the upcoming school year, the average teacher salary will climb to
$60,730. We are proud that we are able to attract and retain great teachers.
All of this adds up to our ongoing commitment to fine arts and athletics as valuable programs
that contribute to the growth and learning of a well-rounded student.
*Source: Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB)
We’re on the web:
www.indianola.k12.ia.us
Indianola, Iowa 50125
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