On the Prowl
October
Smarter…Better…Edmunds Power!
/Important Dates
Parent Teacher Conferences
It is hard to believe that parent teacher conferences are just about here! With that comes the excitement of informing parents of how awesome our students are and what we can do together to improve student learning. Conference sign up slips have been sent home with students. If you have not received a slip or have not signed up please call Edmunds at (515) 242-8406 and we will assist you in signing up. Conferences start Tuesday October 11th from 4-8pm and Wednesday October 12th from 2 – 8pm. Our goal is to reach 100% of our families to share the growth their child is making. We look forward to meeting you and celebrating student progress with you and your family then.
Somali
Hadiiaad u baahantahaycaawinxagatafsiirkajoornaalka, fadlanwacIssa Abdinoor, telefoonnambarka 242-8406, asagaayaanakaacaawindoonatafsiirkajornaalkaama wax kasta oosuaal ah oo la xariirajornaalkabishataasookaaga timid fsalkaamadugsigaba. Waadkumahadsantahaycaawintaadajoogtada ah!
DMPS Equity & Nondiscrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Des Moines Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you believe you have (or your child) has been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact the Equity Coordinator, Isaiah McGee at 2323 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 or 515-242-7662 or .
Española
Minombrees Cynthia Hernandez-Seifer, y trabajo para las EscuelasPúblicas de Des Moines comotrabajadora de AlcanceComunitarioBilingüe. Estoydisponible para asistir a cualquierfamilia y a lospadres que hablanespañolen el distrito. Miinformación de contactoes:Teléfono: 515-242-7893Horario: Lunes-Viernes 8:00-4:00Correo Electrónico: No dude enponerseencontactoconmigosinecesita de mi ayuda para comunicarse con la escuela de suhijo.
9.30.2016Picture Day
10.11.2016Parent Teacher Conferences 4-8pm
10.12.2016Early Dismissal 1:30Parent Teacher Conferences 2-8pm
10.27.2016Popcorn Friday $.50
10.28.2016No School – Teacher Quality Day
11.10.20164/5 Parent Activity Night 5:00-6:30pm
12.8.2016Knd/1 Parent Activity Night 5:00-6:30pm
Kiswahili
Kama unahitaji msaadakatika kutafsirijarida, tafadhali piga simu IssaAbdinoor, 242-8406, na atawezakukusaidia natafsiriyoyote au maswaliyoyote kuhusumajaridaya kila mwezi kutokadarasa au ya shule. Asante kwamsaada wako wa kuendelea!
Edmunds Art Students.
Edmunds art students received a generous contribution from the community, a contribution that will be used in art classes throughout the school year. 200 sketchbooks were were purchased for Edmunds students in grades 3 through 5, from friends and family of Edmunds Art, who made donations through a campaignwith DonorsChoose.org. The project was set up by Edmunds art teacher David Borzo because the sketchbooks add an important element to the students efforts in class. Among other things they promote ownership of their work and providing some continuity throughout the year. When school year is over in May 2017 the students get to take their sketchbooks home as a permanent record of their work all year. Many students have already put the donation to good use, and they are very thankful for the generous contributions!
United Way Day of Action at Edmunds
The United Way Day of Action at EdmundsElementary was held on September 13th, part of the massive effort of over 4,000 United Way volunteers across Central Iowa that day. Kris Dee, temporarily associated with the United Way through IMT Insurance, said that550 of those volunteers were spread out among 15 schools in Central Iowa, all excited to work on literacy skills one-on-one with students. Kris also shared that the goal of the United Way is to see a 95% high school graduation rate in Central Iowa by the year 2020.
The volunteers used a kit based on the book If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz. Each kit contains a book and step-by-step instructions for the activities for the volunteer to follow. This project was also designed to meet the objective of helping children demonstrate recognition of coins and their value. The Edmunds 3rd graders embraced the opportunity to learn with their volunteers, who were made up of employees of IMT and Holmes-Murphey of Des Moines.
EC3 Celebration
The students at Edmunds are working extremely hard at showing positive behavior and making good choices. Every morning they begin the day with a morning meeting led by Principal Jaynette Rittman. At the morning meeting, students review Yoga for classroom breaths and which one will be their go to breathe for the day. Once the message has been delivered they all join in chanting: Smarter, Better, Edmunds Power along with Stop, Think, and Make a Good Choice. Students are encouraged to stop and think about their choices prior to making a negative choice. Students are rewarded every month with a EC3 Celebration if they have less than two Level II office Referrals. Classrooms without any level two referrals also get their picture taken and are displayed on the monthly Paw Wall of Honor. For the month of August nearly every class had their picture taken! Last month the students enjoyed a cool treat of popsicles as their reward.
Sing Along with Ms. Conner
We have had a great start to the year! Students are settling in and having a lot of fun learning new dances, and singing games!In the month of October students in 4th and 5th grades are learning how to compose their own percussion accompaniments by using body percussion. They have already begun this process in September,by writing out rhythms that match the speech patterns of foods you could find at a market. Second and third graders arereading anddiscovering the rhythms to some of their favorite music games. Kindergarten and first grade students are practicing how to use their head and chest voice using a variety of rhyming games. These students are also focusing of the difference between high and low sounds, usinga variety of movement and singing games.
In the World of Art with Mr. Borzo
We have picked up steam in our second month of the new school year in the Edmunds art room! Activity includes many classes finishing their Collages - bringing images together from magazines and other sources to create an artist's statement. Collage is a way to combine images and use several ideas to make something new.
Other classes will be starting or continuing painting projects in October, a student favorite. Both watercolor and acrylic paints will be used, depending on the age group.
And some of the younger grades will be working with modeling clay, getting used to the material and creating some small clay pieces. Using modeling clay is a step towards using real clay next semester or next year, and opening the door to a whole new category of artwork.
Counselor Corner with Mrs. Moore
The year is off to a great start! Students are enjoying having counseling lessons in the counseling office! In October, students will finish their problem solving unit and move into a unit on relationships. Students will learn how to make and keep friends, how to form a positive community, and how to solve conflicts peacefully with peers. We will also review safety tips for trick-or-treating. If your child is trick-or-treating this year, please make sure they have adult supervision!
In addition to classroom counseling lessons, I will meet with some students individually or in small groups. Examples of things I may meet with your student about include: friendship, conflict resolution, social skills, attendance, and school success skills. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the school or email me at . Thank you!
Let the Games Begin in P.E. with Mr. Heard
It’s hard to believe a month of school is already over! During October, students in all grades will be working on gymnastics and tumbling. We will also be working on chasing and fleeing with tag games or large group games. This will include offensive and defensive strategies and applying those to a game setting. And now for the exciting news! Edmunds Elementary was one of four schools in Iowa to receive the 2016 National Let’s Move Active Schools award! This award is the highest honor for any Physical Education or Physical Activity program at the school level. Overall, there were only 544 schools across America to receive this award, so that makes Edmunds pretty special! Please continue to help your child get 60 minutes of exercise per day! This is extremely important for them as they grow and will help ensure a healthy body and mind! If students ask me for homework, I always tell them to get outside and try something new. Then, they can write about it and tell me about the exercise experience. Thank you for helping your student stay healthy for life!
Title I Parent “Right to Know” Requirements
Parent Notification – “Right to Know”
- Parents of students in Title I schools are guaranteed annual notification of their “right to know” about teacher qualifications by their school district. That means parents may request and receive from that office information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including:
- whether the teacher is state‐certified;
- whether a teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status; and
- the baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate degree major or certification.
- whether the child is provided services by a paraprofessional and, if so, his/her
- qualifications.
- LEAs must notify parents at the beginning of each year that information on the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teacher is available from the school district.
- Notification may be included in district news letters or other communications to parents
- Documentation of annual notification should be kept by LEA for monitoring purposes
- Assurance that notification will occur should a child be taught for four or more weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified
- Parents must receive timely notice that their child has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified.
- Parents must be informed if their child is placed in a Limited English Proficient program.
No Child Left Behind Requirement
Parents'/Guardians' Rights Notification
Des Moines Public School Parents/Guardians have the right to learn about the following qualifications of their child's teacher: state licensure requirements for the grade level and content areas taught, the current licensing status of your child's teacher, and baccalaureate/graduate certification/degree. You may also request the qualifications of an instructional paraprofessional who serves your student in a Title I program or if your school operates a schoolwide Title I program. Parents/Guardians may request this information from the Office of Academics by contacting Wilma Gajdel at or 515-242-7937. You may also request this information by sending a letter of request to the Office of Academics, Des Moines Public Schools, 2100 Fleur Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312.
The Des Moines Public Schools ensures that parents will be notified in writing if their child has been assigned, or has been taught by a teacher for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not considered highly qualified.