Seco

ndary  Sp

ectrum

 April  2012  

Mission Statement  The  Grundy  Center  Community  School’s  “community”  will  empower  its  individuals  with  the  attitudes,  skills,  and  knowledge  to  become  responsible,  productive,  and  fulfilled  citizens.  

Calendar  Highlights  for  April:  

April  2  –  2  Hour  Late  Start  April  2  –  MS  Vocal  Concert  

April  6  –  NO  SCHOOL  –  Good  Friday  April  9  -­‐-­‐  NO  SCHOOL  –  PD  

April  11  -­‐  MIDTERM  April  14  –  State  Solo/Ensemble  Contest  

April  16  –  2  Hour  Late  Start  April  23  &  24  –  State  FFA  Convention  

April  28  –  PROM  April  30  –  2  Hour  Late  Start  

 Go  to  the  School  Calendar  at  www.spartanpride.net  for  

a  complete  schedule  of  events/activities.      

    Notes  from  the  School  Nurse,  Gloria  Dielschneider  

 

The Blue Zones Project - Live longer, better! Previously we explained the Blue Zones as places in the world where people live healthy, happy lives well into their 90s or even 100s. They share 9 lifestyle habits - Power 9™ - responsible for their remarkable results. Power 9™ shows you how to live longer through specific lifestyle habits. In the past 2 months we covered Just Move, Purpose Now, and Downshift.

Eat Wisely – Gain 8 Years

80% Rule

Marketers tell us we can eat our way to health. America has been eating its way well beyond health. The Okianawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomach is 80% full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. Serve food at the counter, store leftovers, then sit down to enjoy the meal. Replace your big dishes with 10” plates. Remove TV’s from the kitchen. People in the Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.

Plant Slant

Go ahead and eat meat if you want. But consider it a condiment and try the leanest, finest meat you can afford. Try to limit it to a portion the size of a deck of cards and only twice per week. Beans, including fava, black and soy and lentils are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Snacking on nuts–about a handful a day has been associated with and extra 2-3 years of life expectancy.

©Copyright 2009 by Blue Zones, LLC. All rights reserved.  

For more information go to: www.bluezonesproject.com

 

 

12TH STREET NEWS! by Mrs. Murra, Superintendent

 

Every month of the school year seems busy, but April and May seem to top the charts! This year will be no different. The spring weather is already upon us, and I highly encourage you to venture out and support our students in a variety of extra-curricular activities. The updated calendar of events can be found on our www.spartanpride.net website as well as the http://www.northiowacedarleague.org website.

There will also be several “behind-the-scene” tasks taking place this month. In March, the school board approved moving the 5th grade to the middle school next year, so those classrooms are being renovated. We are also interviewing for a new 3rd grade teacher, elementary guidance counselor, and middle school science teacher. The facilities committee is working on their list of recommendations for summer improvement projects which will be presented to the school board at their April meeting.

A significant item on this list is the addition of four classrooms at the middle school that would also serve as a community tornado safe room. This is still in the very preliminary stages as it includes applying for a Homeland Security & Emergency Management FEMA Grant. It is a rigorous process that could result in having 85% of the construction project paid by the grant. We have cleared the first stage of being accepted to apply. During this time, we submitted certified documents of our enrollment and logs of additional events and people that utilize our building. The Mitigation Project Manager determined that our “at-risk population” to be served by the tornado safe room is 485. This number is inserted into a formula that calculates the square footage of the tornado safe room from a funding perspective. Our tornado safe classrooms are anticipated to be 3,850 square feet in total size. The next step is to publish a request for proposal for architectural services. A small committee of school employees and community members will score the proposals using a rating scale approved by HSEM/FEMA and make a recommendation to the school board next month. Once this step has been completed and a contract has been secured, the firm will provide several opportunities for all stakeholders to give input during the design and planning stage. After the construction documents are created, they will be submitted with a very detailed application to HSEM/FEMA for approval. At that stage we will be notified if we will receive the funding or not. Hopefully this will occur in July. Until then, we have many other projects that will be completed to improve our school facilities!

With Spartan Pride~

Mrs. Murra

 

   

 

 

 

Are  you  or  your  child  interested  in  being  a  member  of  the  Grundy  Center  Dance  Team  

and  going  to  be  in  high  school  next  year?  Here  is  your  opportunity  to  try  out!  GCDT  is  a  great  

sport  if  you’re  looking  for  a  tight-­‐knit  group  that  you  can  call  friends,  and  physical  activity  that  

brings  fun  and  excitement!  The  goal  of  the  dance  team  is  not  only  to  promote  school  spirit  but  

to  also  build  sound  character.  

If  you  have  never  been  on  the  dance  team  before,  Coach  Doak  will  be  holding  some  

open  meetings  in  her  room  Wednesday,  April  18  and  Friday,  April  20  from  6:45  a.m.  to  7:45  

a.m.  These  meetings  will  allow  new  dancers  to  learn  and  understand  some  of  the  basic  

techniques  required  at  the  tryout.  Knowing  this  information  weeks  in  advance  will  help  them  

properly  prepare  for  the  tryout  itself.  Both  meetings  are  not  mandatory  but  strongly  

suggested.  

The  tryout  practices  will  be  Wednesday,  May  2,  and  Friday,  May  4  in  the  HS  Gym  from  

6:15  a.m  to  7:15  a.m.  Both  practices  are  required.  Here,  those  interested  will  learn  a  short  

routine  and  the  requirements  for  the  team.  The  actual  tryout  will  be  Saturday,  May  5  in  the  

HS  Gym  at  9  a.m.  Potential  dancers  will  be  performing  the  elements  and  routine  in  front  of  a  

set  of  judges  and  numerically  scored.  The  judges  then  meet  confidentially  and  post  the  results  

at  a  later  time.  The  tryouts  are  closed.  

There  will  be  a  mandatory  meeting  for  ALL  interested  dancers  and  their  parents  

Tuesday,  May  1  at  6:00  p.m.  in  Coach  Doak’s  room,  number  29.  This  meeting  will  introduce  a  

lot  of  important  information  and  dates,  so  if  you  cannot  make  it,  please  contact  Coach  Doak  

ASAP:  cdoak@spartanpride.net  or  (319)  825-­‐5449.  You  may  also  address  any  other  questions  

or  concerns  at  the  stated  contact  information.  

    PROM 2012

 

The theme of this year's prom is Mardi Gras and will be held on Saturday, April 28. The walk through will be in the High

School Auditorium at 5:30 p.m.

Attendees will have dinner on their own, and gather for the dance at the UNI Commons Ballroom in Cedar Falls.

Arrival at the Ballroom will be 8:15-8:45 p.m., with the dance beginning at 8:30 p.m. and concluding at 11:30 p.m.

After Prom activities sponsored by the Junior Class parents

will take place at Maple Lanes in Waterloo.

 

GERMANY TRIP

The school schedule surprised me the most. Getting done with school before lunch was crazy. Their classes are called lessons. Each lesson is an hour. Their schedule consists of Lesson 1, 20 minute break, Lesson 2, 20 minute break, Lesson 3 and Lesson 4. My favorite part was definitely the way people were treated in an equal fashion. In Germany you are put on a track. Each track is based on your learning ability. We went the middle class. Each person respected each other equally. There was no bullying, no harassment, no judging. No one cared what you looked like, what you wore, or what your learning level was. It didn't matter to them because they were tracked the same. What I miss the most is just Germany itself. It is such a beautiful country. I absolutely loved it there, even if it was 30 degrees everyday, it was wonderful. My experience there was amazing, I want to go back very soon! – Jill Itzen

I  was  most  surprised  at  how  similar  their  culture  was  to  ours.  They  eat  the  same  food,  listen  to  the  same  music,  and  do  the  same  things  in  their  pass  time.  My  favorite  part  was  getting  to  learn  the  history  of  the  area  and  getting  to  see  some  of  the  landmarks  that  they  are  most  proud  of.  They  take  great  pride  in  one  of  their  lighthouses,  and  it  was  cool  to  hear  that  pride  in  the  speaker’s  voice  as  he  told  us  about  the  history  of  the  lighthouse.  As  of  now,  I  miss  my  host-­‐family  and  friends  the  most.  I  have  become  attached  to  them  while  I  was  there  and  I  can't  wait  to  see  some  of  them  again  in  October.  –  Blake  Kelley  

   

 

I was most surprised about the school system. They have school from 7:35 to 12:50. The schedule consists of first lesson, 20-minute break, second lesson, 20-minute break, 3rd and 4th lesson then school is out. The students seemed very welcoming and they all wanted to talk to us. That was surprising because they seem a lot more open to us then our students are to each other. My favorite part was getting to see the towns. The towns we got to tour, we got an in-depth history. I absolutely loved hearing about the history and getting to see these like 16th century type of buildings. We went to tour a church and it was made in 1276! I thought we had old things. It was really neat to see. I miss the whole country. It was very beautiful. I don't miss the cold weather though. I also miss the kids at the school. They were really accepting and nice and could joke around with us. It was a lot of fun. My host family took me in and was very nice and fun. I miss them probably the most out of anything. I can't wait for October. – Elise Robinson

   

 

NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Mrs.  Hinderhofer  will  be  registering  students  for  classes  beginning  the  month  of  April.    The  schedule  will  change  slightly  from  last  year  so  students  should  be  able  to  select  the  classes  they  desire  from  the  schedule  that  has  been  updated  from  this  year.    Parents  will  be  sent  the  student  2012-­‐2013  schedules  electronically  for  their  approval.    Juniors  and  Seniors  are  reminded  that  if  they  are  wanting  to  sign  up  for  concurrent  classes  (college  credit  classes)  they  must  have  the  needed  Compass  or  ACT  test  scores  before  the  end  of  school.    Seniors  especially  must  be  signed  up  for  concurrent  classes  with  Hawkeye  Community  College  this  spring.  

 

Prom  2012  –  Students,  parents,  and  staff  are  working  together  to  make  Prom  2012  an  enjoyable,  successful  and  safe  event  for  all  students.    The  following  is  the  time  schedule  that  we  are  working  on  for  students.    As  always  if  you  have  questions  please  feel  free  to  contact  one  of  the  three  junior  sponsors  or  the  office.    This  year  students  will  be  having  prom  at  UNI  and  next  year  Prom  will  be  in  Grundy  Center.    The  every  other  year  was  established  by  a  group  of  students,  parents,  and  teachers  to  try  and  make  planning  a  much  smoother  and  more  manageable  event.    The  every  other  year  has  proven  to  be  very  successful  for  everyone  and  I  would  encourage  this  type  of  scheduling  into  the  future.  

 

Middle  School  –  The  east  end  classroom  in  the  Secondary  Building  are  getting  a  small  facelift  to  accommodate  the  5th  grade  students  coming  into  the  building  next  year.    The  Friday  before  spring  break  some  high  school  students  along  with  some  middle  school  students  helped  move  Mrs.  Flater  from  room  2  to  room  8.    With  that  Mr.  Gingery’s  advisory  has  moved  to  Mr.  Rohler’s  room.    I  appreciate  the  flexibility  and  the  help  everyone  is  giving  to  make  this  a  smooth  and  easy  transition.    More  information  about  the  5th  grade  will  be  coming  in  the  next  month’s  newsletter.      

 

Parents  of  11th  and  12th  grade  students  –  We  have  made  improvements  with  the  open  campus  lunch  issues  but  we  still  continue  to  track  down  and  then  discipline  students  that  leave  campus  without  open  lunch  privileges.    Your  continued  support  is  appreciated.    Juniors  that  leave  lunch  without  permission  will  serve  an  in  school  suspension  on  the  afternoon  they  left  for  lunch.      Earning  the  privilege  of  open  campus  lunch  by  maintaining  a  grade  of  a  C-­‐  or  better  is  something  all  students  can  obtain  if  they  turn  in  work  and  stay  on  track  in  the  classroom.  

 

   

   

6  –  12  Homework  Completion  –  This  seems  to  be  a  real  problem  with  some  students  and  a  non-­‐issue  with  others.    A  student  just  deciding  not  to  complete  the  homework  or  complete  the  task  that  is  necessary  to  measure  learning  in  a  classroom  is  just  crazy.    The  staff  members  at  Grundy  Center  are  constantly  working  to  improve  the  student  work  and  tasks  needed  to  measure  student  learning  in  their  classroom.    Just  handing  out  random  assignments  or  asking  student  to  do  the  questions  at  the  end  of  the  chapter  to  keep  a  student  “busy”  is  unproductive  and  discouraged.    The  assignments  students  are  given  are  needed  and  used  to  measure  student  learning  /  understanding  and  to  guide  instruction.    Your  encouragement  and  involvement  with  student  work  /  tasks  is  needed  to  help  your  student  find  success  in  the  classrooms.    Giving  of  your  time  and  finding  a  way  to  support  you  child  in  their  schoolwork  is  critical.    I  also  remind  you  that  most  staff  will  allow  students  to  turn  in  homework  a  little  late  or  offer  them  the  opportunity  to  retake  or  redo  the  assignment.    Turning  in  work  2  week  or  3  weeks  after  the  fact  seems  to  defeat  the  purpose  of  grading  student  work  with  the  intent  to  change  on  student  understanding.  

 

I  have  shared  some  pictures  from  Germany  and  will  continue  to  share  more  information  in  the  future  about  the  exchange  program  we  have  created  with  the  school  in  Pewsum,  Germany.    Over  spring  break  four  Grundy  Center  8th  grade  students  stayed  with  four  host  families  in  Germany  for  one  week.    In  October  2012  Grundy  Center  will  have  16  students  from  the  Pewsum,  Germany  school  coming  to  America  for  one  week.    If  you  have  an  8th  grade  student  and  would  like  to  host  a  student  from  Germany  I  would  encourage  you  to  make  contact  with  the  office  as  soon  as  possible.    With  the  wonders  of  technology  students  are  able  to  establish  relationships  from  abroad  through,  email,  Face  book,  and  Skype.    I  will  be  working  on  this  project  for  the  next  few  weeks  and  will  be  encouraging  8th  grade  families  to  help  out  with  this  exciting  adventure  with  students  from  Germany.  

 

It  has  been  an  unbelievable  spring  and  spring  has  just  started.    With  the  weather  turning  warm  and  unseasonable  we  need  to  remember  that  we  go  to  school  until  the  end  of  May  and  we  must  finish  up  the  school  year  on  the  positive  side  of  academic  classes.    Don’t  forget  that  school  comes  first  and  then  enjoy  the  weather.    Finishing  school  year  strong  will  lead  to  a  more  productive  summer  and  fall.