Data Days: A Look at How Data is used at Elementary Schools
Data days at our elementary schools allow teachers to investigate areas of instructional need using data and respond with reading interventions to close gaps. Grades K-1 use FAST benchmark data, and grades 2-5 use MAP data as it relates to school and individual students. The purpose of these structured meetings is to assess data, analyze grade-level trends, and identify students for additional instruction.
Read morePK-5 Students to Return to 100% Face-to-Face
PK-5 Students to Return to 100% Face-to-Face This morning, the school board voted for PK-5 students who desire a building-based delivery model to return to 100% face-to-face starting on January 4, 2021. Below, we have outlined what this means for our students in the various delivery models and buildings.
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Edwards, Meeker, and Sawyer Elementary to Move to 100% Online Starting Wednesday, November 11
The contents of this message immediately impact families at our elementary schools, but we are sharing with all parents in the District. As a District, we will be applying for approval from the Iowa Department of Education (DE) to move to 100% online remote learning for Edwards, Meeker, and Sawyer Elementary Schools. Pending approval from the DE and our school board, we would move to remote learning for these three schools on Wednesday, November 11. This online remote learning will continue in two-week intervals, which is the maximum that the DE approves at one time.
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Masked Hero: Mark Royer
Superpower: The ability to see the world with childlike wonder. The ability to see the world with childlike wonder is a superpower that transcends time and allows Mark Royer to connect with students on a unique level. “I'm just a big kid disguised as an adult.” Royer has been with the Ames district since 2001 and as a full-time Extended Learning Program (ELP) elementary teacher since 2013.
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Jessica Sharp named as new Edwards Elementary Principal
The Ames Community School District is excited to announce Jessica Sharp as the new principal of Edwards Elementary School. Sharp is currently a Behavior Strategist in the Ames Community School District, a position she has held since 2019. In this position, she provided support across the District in the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support and oversaw the District’s Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS).
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Elementary Chromebook Checkout
As a way to support continuous learning while at home and to assist in our voluntary learning plan for the Elementary students, we will be allowing parents/guardians to check-out Chromebooks from their Elementary school for students in all grade levels. We will have set times for pickup at each of the Elementary schools later this week. Parents/Guardians are not required to pick up school computers if you already have a device at home that is meeting your learning needs. Your children can still access their school’s activities through their SeeSaw (K-2nd grade) or Google Classroom (3rd-5th grade) using their school Google account.
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PBIS at Edwards Elementary
When students are learning how to read, add, or how to spell, we teach them. That same principle must apply to how students behave throughout the day at school. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a “philosophy intended to guide the behavioral support and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional, and academic success.” It is a school-wide framework that focuses on the positive things that students are doing. This is an examination of what that looks like at Edwards Elementary School. School discipline has traditionally responded to specific student misbehavior by implementing punishment-based strategies that may include reprimands, loss of privileges, and office referrals. This approach, especially when applied inconsistently and without other positive strategies, is proven to be ineffective. With PBIS, consequences will still occur, but are not the focus; teaching expected behavior and rewarding those behaviors consistently is the focus. PBIS looks to establish a climate in which safe and appropriate behavior is the norm.
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Elementary Reading: FUNdations and Reading Units of Study
After an extensive review process including feedback and input from staff, students, and community members, Ames CSD purchased the research-based Reading Units of Study for all EK-5th grade classrooms. Reading Units of Study utilizes a reading workshop model where students spend significant time reading books of their choice and writing about those books. Students also learn with teachers in one on one conferences as well as in small group instructional teams. Finally, collaborative and sharing opportunities are built into the reading workshop.
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Enrich, Empower, Excel Summer School
Summer programming looked a little different this year but provided many of the great courses that families were accustomed to. Two programs within the district (ELP Super Summer and ALP summer school) and two community partners (YSS and United Way of Story County) joined together to create the Enrich, Empower, Excel summer program. Dr. Anthony Jones, Director of Equity and administrator in charge of the summer program said, “The reasons the programs joined together were to ensure all students have equal access to rich learning opportunities and to enhance the academic enrichment provided to all students.”
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Safety Patrol at Edwards Elementary
If you visited Edwards Elementary School this year in the morning during student drop off time, you were likely greeted with a friendly smile and saw students high-fiving each other. This is the work of Safety Patrol, a rotating team of nearly 30 fifth graders who are taking the lead on establishing a positive environment in their building by greeting students at the front door and at designated points throughout the school. Principal Kristi Mixdorf saw this concept modeled at another school and approached fifth-grade teacher Chris Douglas about implementing it at Edwards. Douglas said, “I told her I wanted to continue looking for leadership opportunities for our 5th graders so I decided to take the lead on this and told the kids and parents what we envisioned this looking like.”
Read moreDiscover More from Ames CSD
