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EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

Enrollment Day will be March 15, 2014 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Click here for details.

Storm Lake Early Childhood programs are now accepting applications for the 2014-2015 school year. Click here for more information.

2014-2015 SCHOOL CALENDAR

The SLCSD School Board has approved the following calendar for the 2014-2015 school year. For a printable version click here.

CHARACTER COUNTS!

The Elementary held a Character Counts! Assembly on Friday, February 7th. The theme for the month is Responsibility. The speaker provided thoughts on being responsible with your pets and also being responsible at work and at home. Prior to the assembly some 4th grade boys had the opportunity to show off some dance moves they have come up with. These boys did this dance for a Talent Show in music and were selected to share their talents with the student body.

Mrs. Knapp was presented with a GOOSE after being nominated for being Caring. The GOOSE stands for Get Out Of School Early. Mrs. Knapp will be able to leave school at 2pm some day soon for receiving this honor. Congratulations!

Upcoming Events

Kreative Kitchen Menus for the 2nd semester are now available. Click here for the details.

Monday, March 3
Music Booster Mtg. 6:30 pm
Citizen's Advisory Council @ Middle School 7:00 pm
Speaker's Cafe @ High School 7:00 pm

Tuesday, March 4
Middle School Large Group Choir Clinic @ Hawarden
Middle School Wrestling @ Spencer 4:00 pm
EPIC Mtg 6:00 pm

Wednesday, March 5
Elementary Group Pictures
College Fair @ High School Gym 10:00 am-Noon
Early Dismissal 12:25/12:35/12:45
Adventure Club

Thursday, March 6
All Iowa Dance Auditions in Des Moines
Parade of Bands @ High School 7:00 pm

Friday, March 7
Elementary Group Pictures
End of 3rd Quarter

Saturday, March 8
Burger King/Coca Cola 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament @ Middle School

In the Spotlight

LIBRARY LEADERS

The Iowa Department of Education website now has a new vision for school libraries posted at https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/learner-supports/school-library. Librarian, Media Specialist, Teacher Librarian are all names given to the role of the library leader. The position itself has changed very much in the past decade. No longer will you find a librarian sooshing the students and solely checking in and out books. "The role of the teacher librarian in Iowa schools is evolving to meet 21st century learning needs and to integrate technological tools to enhance instruction and support multiple literacies." (Iowa Department of Education, 2014.) Teacher librarians are now trained to "lead and embrace the integration of technology", "connect communities or learners in virtual and physical spaces", "support the reading life of students", "maximize access to quality print and digital resources", "nurture curiosity to develop in students a passion for learning", "collaborate with the school community to design and enact rigorous learning experiences and participate as positive digital citizens." With a better understanding of the concept of the library as a "learning commons" and the librarian as a teacher, the more opportunities for students can be created and engagement in reading for pleasure and for curiosity can increase. The saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child", the teacher librarian collaborating with classroom teachers and administration is that village.

STEM-SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS

If you have been reading or listening to news about education, then you probably have noticed that there is a lot of talk about STEM and its importance. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Currently, Iowa has a large STEM initiative to promote quality STEM programming in schools. The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has identified twelve proven programs and made them available to schools through a grant application process.

The SLMS 7^th grade science program was a successful grant applicant for the 2013-14 school year. 7^th grade students are currently participating in a STEM program called Investigating Biodiversity and Interdependence offered by CAROLINA Curriculum. Students have investigated the regeneration of blackworms, the structures and behaviors of a parasitic wasp known as the WOWBug, and will soon be creating a pond ecosystem to study over a three week period.

Each investigation requires the use of microscopes and introduces the students to a world that is often invisible without them. These and other hands-on inquiries will help build the students’ scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills while using the tools and techniques of science. Ask any 7^th grader what they have observed in science lately. I think that you will be surprised!