I recently read an article written by Andrew Reed who wrote; “Academic Habits can be thought of as effective routines for learning that ultimately lead to academic skills and abilities.  The habits a student develops can actually be as important as the knowledge the student retains.”  According to Reed, parents can do the following to help their son or daughter develop good academic habits:

1. Create routines at home that help develop academic habits
2. Speak with your son/daughter about the importance of academic habits
3. Recognize potential weaknesses or challenges and reinforce effective academic habits
4. Remember the true goal is having your son/daughter become personally invested in their work.
5. Speak with teachers and mentors about your son/daughter in order to gain perspective and new ideas.

For the past several years, on a district-wide basis, we have utilized a “Professional Learning Communities” approach in setting collaborative goals.  Utilizing this “PLC” framework, we ask all of our grade levels and/or departments to set measurable goals focused on increasing student achievement in the areas identified within the Iowa Core Curriculum.  These areas include common standards in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and 21st century learning (civic literacy, financial literacy, technology literacy, health literacy, and employability skills).  The Iowa Core is a little different in that it is not a course-based set of standards, but rather a student-based approach that supports high expectations for all students.

The stakes are higher than they have ever been.  Maquoketa and all school districts across the state of Iowa must continue to raise the bar and provide support for students to meet these expectations.  The Iowa Department of Education has defined the following six outcomes to assist districts and schools to fully implementing the Iowa Core:

1. School leaders build and sustain system capacity to implement the Iowa Core.
2. Community members and other supporting agencies work together to support the implementation of the Iowa Core.
3. A continuous improvement process to improve teaching and learning is used at the district and school level.
4. District leaders and other educators monitor and use data to increase the degree of alignment of each and every student’s enacted curriculum and other relevant educational opportunities to the Iowa Core.
5. Educators engage in professional development focused on implementing Characteristics of Effective Instruction and demonstrate understanding of Essential Concepts and Skills.
6. Educators implement effective instructional practices to ensure high levels of learning for each and every student.

As you examine the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, the Building Initiative Maps and the Professional Development Plans for the Maquoketa Community School District, you find a significant correlation to all six of these outcomes.

A competitive job market means preparation for continuing education beyond 12^th grade is essential.  Hence, we will continue to build on our theme of “College Readiness for All”.  In my view, to truly prepare students to successful at the next level, we must educate the whole child.  This certainly requires a strong core academic program but it cannot be at the expense of the arts and activity programs.  We must also remember that those walking through our doors this year will pass this way but once and we owe them the best we have to offer.  A promise of what we hope to do in the future will not do much for the students entering our doors today.

By working together, we can provide a safe and positive learning environment for every student.  We are looking forward to a great year of growth and learning.  If I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your continued support.

Dr. Kim P. Huckstadt,   MCSD Superintendent

During the first two weeks of school, as part of the District’s effort to eliminate bullying behaviors in school, all district employees and all students in grades 8 through 12 were allowed to view the documentary film “Bully”.  The District would like to thank Dennis Voy and Jack Jones for scheduling the movie and for allowing employees and students to view the film at the Voy Theaters at a reduced rate.

Due to the generosity of the following businesses, organizations and concerned patrons of the District, this opportunity was made possible at no cost to the District’s General Operating Fund.

A total of $4,355 has been raised to support our Anti-Bullying Program.  The remaining funds will be utilized to support on-going efforts to eliminate bullying and promote acceptance, respect and empathy within our school and community.  By working together we can make our school and community a safe and positive environment for everyone!  A sincere thank you to all of our sponsors…

Facility Improvement Projects…

You may have an opportunity to see or experience the facility improvement projects that began this summer and are continuing into the fall months.  These include a Geo-thermal system at Briggs Elementary, new windows at the Middle School and High School and a significant addition to the Welding Shop that will result in that facility becoming our “Advanced Manufacturing Center”.  The geothermal and window replacement projects were financed through the use of the statewide sales tax fund for school infrastructure.  The vast majority of the Advanced Manufacturing Center was made possible by and ACE (Accelerated Career Education) Grant secured by Clinton Community College.  The expansion of this AMC will allow our vocational program to expand to include robotic welding, CNC Lathe work and Plasma Cutting.

It has been a busy summer…  We thank all of our own staff members and the contractors who helped make these improvements possible.  Our goal is to improve the learning environment for all of our students and staff in order to make the most of every day.

Michael Schmidt – HS Guidance Counselor

Katherine Degner – HS Math Teacher

Jenna Olson – Briggs 5^th Grade Teacher

Rhyan Dailey – HS Special Education Teacher

Rachelle Kober – MS Literacy Teacher

Christina Kopp – MS Math/Language Arts Teacher

Jeremy Machael – Custodian

Michelle Ihrig – MS Teacher Associate

Stacy Eads – MS Teacher Associate

Audrey Potter – Food Service Worker

Elizabeth Hayward – MS Teacher Associate

Justin Hayward – Information Systems Technician

Erin Schlotfeld – 9^th Girls Basketball Coach

Sarah Kelley – HS Spanish Teacher

Louie Clasen – Bowling Coach

Thomas Barnes – Var. Girls Basketball Coach

You may have heard that there will be new requirements for school meals.  The new requirements are great news for our students!  They will help Maquoketa Community Schools build on the work we are already doing to provide more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthier main dishes in our school cafeterias.

Students will now be required to have ½ cup of fruit or vegetable on their tray for it to count as a full meal.  Anything less than a full meal will be charged as individual items.  We plan to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables daily to give students more options in the hopes that choosing fruits and vegetables will be easy.

Schools are now limited on how much meat/meat alternate and grains that can be offered.  This means that some of the main dishes may not be as large as they have been in the past.  Remember, though, there will be more fruits and vegetables available to fill out the meal and ensure students have plenty to eat!

In Maquoketa Community Schools, we have already made progress toward meeting the new requirements.

What We Are Already Doing

• Fruit and vegetables are served every day.
• Sandwiches are served on whole wheat buns.
• All pasta served is whole grain.
• Main dishes have been changed to include lower sodium options.
• Dark green and orange vegetables are served on a weekly basis.
• Dried beans have been incorporated into some of the recipes.
• Salad bars are available every day that include lettuce, carrot sticks, celery sticks, whole wheat bread and peanut butter (when available).

We’ll face some challenges to meet the new requirements on a tight budget, but our school nutrition program will work hard to make these healthy changes for our students and make each meal something our students will enjoy!

How Can You Help?

The food in the cafeteria is only one piece of the puzzle of an overall healthy school environment.  Health and wellness can be incorporated into classroom activities through nutrition education and short physical activity breaks.  Give parents the opportunity to support healthy behaviors with suggestions for healthy class party snacks and provided with wellness information that they can utilize with their families.

The school nutrition program needs the support of parents to succeed!  You are a powerful role model for your students and this is a fabulous opportunity to model healthy choices.   Whether you join your students for lunch or make time to talk with them about the food they eat at school, taking an interest in the school meal programs will demonstrate that you are aware of and supportive of the changes that the students will be seeing.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.  We are here to help!

Laurie Morehead -  MCSD Food Service Director

Sandy Dell -  Kitchen Operations Manager

563-652-4211

We will continue to remind parents of student’s low account balances weekly, through our automated call system. If your financial circumstances have changed during the year, your child may qualify for free or reduced price meals.  At your request, we will gladly assist you in determining whether you qualify for the program and help you with the application process.  Applications are available at your child’s school or the District Central Office.  Any unpaid amounts accrued prior to qualifying for the program is still owed to the District.

Moving forward, we ask for your cooperation in making deposits into student’s accounts timely so as to not accrue negative balances.  Students with a negative balance greater than $25 will not be allowed to charge meals or will be provided an alternate meal.

The District also has a convenient, online credit card or e-check payment processing system called PaySchools.  There is a link on the District’s web site, www.maquoketa.k12.ia.us.  To ensure your security, PaySchools does not store personal bank or credit card information.  To access the program, a parent must have access to the Parent Portal in the district’s student information system.  If you need access this system or are unable to pay the entire amount due, we ask that you contact Central Office at 652-4984.  We will work with you to structure a plan to address the deficit.  Thank you for your cooperation.

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NOTICE: Maquoketa Community Schools Food Service receives and serves Government Commodities that contain nuts and nut products.  We serve peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, and trail mix on the tray and salad bar.  Students with nut allergies or any food allergies need to notify their teachers and the Food Service Department.

Your donation will allow you to have your name, the name of your children, grandchildren, or possibly an esteemed faculty member included in the Cardinal Walk of Pride.

All proceeds from this project will be used for special projects that will enhance the facility and expand opportunities for students of the Maquoketa Community School District.  An order form is available for your convenience at the Central Office.

Adequate Yearly Progress Report for 2011-2012

No Child Left Behind Legislation requires continuous improvement of achievement levels for all students, and Iowa has an accountability system requiring all districts and schools to annually demonstrate improvement toward the state’s trajectory (goals) in reading and math. This measure is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

2011-2012 was the first year that the new Iowa Assessment was required for reporting. The redesign of the assessments has had three important impacts:

• The test is now more closely aligned with the Iowa Core Curriculum, and, in many instances, this will mean the test questions are more demanding than in the past.
• National Standard Score is now used to determine proficiency and individual growth instead of the National Percentile Rank.
• The redesign caused the test to be re-normed, so a comparison to prior year’s scores may be difficult to make. This should be considered to be new “baseline” data.

Scores for grades 3-5 and 6-8 are collapsed (combined) to determine progress. In high school, only grade 11 scores are required. Combining grade levels increases the number in some subgroups to 30 or more students, which is the reportable number expected to attain the state’s trajectory. Subgroups include students who receive Free or Reduced Lunch (Low SES), students who receive Special Education services (IEP subgroup) and students from a variety of ethnicities. In addition to test scores, districts must meet the K-8 Attendance Rate and Graduation Rate specified by the state for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP.)

In 2011-2012, our district again met the state goal for Test Participation, the K-8 Attendance Rate and the Graduation Rate! We also celebrate the fact that our Middle School Met the AYP goal in the Low SES and All Student Subgroups in Math. Grade 11 also Met AYP in Reading and Math in the All Student Subgroup. Due to specific subgroups not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more consecutive years, the Middle School and Briggs Elementary School were identified as Schools in Need of Assistance (SINA). Since Briggs receives Title I funds, an Action Plan is required to be submitted to the Department of Education. Briggs was required to offer Supplemental Educational Services in 2011-12. Educare provided those services through after-school tutoring, resulting in positive gains in student achievement for many students. Educare will again provide these services at Briggs in 2012-2013.

Included in this newsletter is the AYP Report for our district – this Iowa Assessment Data should be considered to be baseline data. Also included is growth data from our formative (periodic) assessments, DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) and MAP (Measures of Academic Progress.) They are reliable, research based assessments, and we believe that formative assessments give us a much better measure of student progress throughout the year. Periodic assessments also assist staff in altering instruction to meet the learning needs of students.

School personnel look forward to working together with students, parents and community to best prepare all students for our ever-changing world. Feel free to contact me with questions about information included in my report.

Helen Snell

Our district met the required K-8 Attendance Rate and Graduation Rate, and all buildings met the required Participation Rate for testing!

This year’s AYP data is based on the new statewide Iowa Assessment. Although the scores are used for the No Child Left Behind AYP decision, scores should be considered to be baseline, and should not be compared to previous test scores.

Iowa Assessment  MATH Grades 3-5 District          State Goal                   81%

All Students                                                      Missed AYP                73%

Low SES                                                          Missed AYP                 68%

Spec. Ed.                                                         Missed AYP                53%

Iowa Assessment READING Grades 3-5 District     State Goal                    82%

All Students                                                     Missed AYP                 66%

Low SES                                                          Missed AYP                 57%

Spec. Ed.                                                         Missed AYP                30%

Iowa Assessment MATH Grades 6-8 District                       State Goal                  79%

All Students Met AYP Safe Harbor 75%

Low SES Met AYP Safe Harbor 66%

Spec. Ed. Missed AYP 29%

Iowa Assessment READING Grades 6-8 District                 State Goal                  78.7%

All Students                                                     Missed AYP                 60%

Low SES                                                          Missed AYP                 51%

Spec. Ed.                                                         Missed AYP                 19%

Iowa Assessment MATH Grade 11 District             State Goal                  84.5%

All Students                                                     Met AYP Safe Harbor       85%

Low SES                                                          Missed AYP                 65%

Spec Ed < 30

Iowa Assessment READING Grade 11 District                    State Goal                    84.5%

All Students                                                     Met AYP-Safe Harbor      80%

Low SES                                                          Missed AYP                 59%

Sped Ed < 30

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)

MAP is a computerized test taken 2-3 times a year, providing an accurate measure of what a child knows, needs to learn, and growth made over time.

Percentage Meeting or Exceeding Typical Growth in Reading from Fall 2011 to Spring 2012

Kindergarten: 33%     1st grade: 63%     2nd grade: 38%     3rd grade:   66%     4th grade:      52%

5th grade:       53%     6th grade:  59%    7th grade:  52%     8th Grade:  48%

Percentage Meeting or Exceeding Typical Growth in Math from Fall 2011 to Spring 2012

Kindergarten:  36%     1st grade:  66%     2nd grade:  46%     3rd grade:  73%     4th grade:  73%

5th grade:        58%

Percentage Meeting or Exceeding Typical Growth in Science from Fall 2011 to Spring 2012

6th Grade:   61%         7^th Grade:   50%          10^th Grade:   42%

Assessment Data Continued……….

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills

DIBELS were designed for use in identifying children experiencing difficulty in acquisition of basic early literacy skills in order to provide support early and prevent the occurrence of later reading difficulties.

Growth of Students Scoring At or Above Benchmark from Fall 2011 to Spring 2012

Kindergarten:    20%                1^st Grade:    13%                      2^nd Grade:    11%

Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for 4 Year-Old Children:

This is a FREE community-wide preschool program for any child who will be 4 by September 15^th of the current school year and is a resident of Iowa. The four centers participating in this program include Cardinal Elementary Preschool, Kids of the Kingdom Preschool, Little Shepherd Christian Preschool, and Sunshine Preschool.  Classes will be held Monday through Friday, with both morning and afternoon sessions available.

Preschool program for 3-year olds at Cardinal Elementary:

The program meets Monday-Thursday mornings, and tuition is $120/month. Scholarships for tuition assistance are available to families who qualify, based on income and the number of persons in the household.

PreKindergarten Program at Cardinal Elementary:

This all-day program is for students who are 5 by September 15^th of the current school year. The program is

for students who will benefit from an additional year of development in a variety of skills prior to attending Kindergarten. Creative Curriculum in combination with a transitional kindergarten curriculum is used for this class. Kindergarten readiness checklists for the areas of literacy and math are also used as a reference tool to help develop and plan instruction and curriculum for the PreKindergarten class.

121 students are currently registered for our preschool programs, and enrollment will continue throughout the school year.

If you have questions, or would like preschool application information, you may contact Helen Snell, Program Director, at 652-4984.