Fall Activities Going Strong!

Since before school started and even throughout the summer, students have been working hard to prepare for the fall activity season.  In the summer students attended weightlifting and also participated in camps both as teams and individuals to prepare for the upcoming season.  That hard work is now paying off!

The Junior High students are participating in Cross Country, Volleyball, and Football.  All three squads have lots of kids participating and each are doing very well thus far.

Marching Band participants have also been working hard since before school started and are being led by 1st year director Nathan Johnson.  Junior High students have been added to the marching band to boost numbers and the group has been performing at all home football games.  Their first contest of the year is October 11.

At the high school level, the Boy's and Girl's Cross Country teams are making good progress with every meet.  Although numbers are not high the runners are working hard and improving everyday.  Cross Country teams run next at Williamsburg on Tuesday September 30.  The volleyball team is also off to a great start and just this week defeated English Valley and HLV in 3 straight games both nights.  Volleyball has their next home games next Monday night, September 29.  The Plainsmen Football team is also off to an outstanding start with a 4-0 record and recently entered the Cedar Rapids Gazette Class A Top 10 at #10.  This Friday they play at home vs #8 Montezuma who is also 4-0.

Come out and support all our teams this fall and display our Plainsmen Pride!! 

Off to A Good Start

For about the last 7 days or so I've been wanting to sit down and write about how our year has been going thus far and I'm finally taking a moment to actually do that.  So far, the year is off to a very good start!  Each year presents new challenges, opportunities, and initiatives that can have a positive or negative impact on the students, staff, or school as a whole.

One change that has occurred this year with students is the cell phone policy.  In years past students were not allowed to use their phones at any time during the school day unless granted permission by a teacher for educational purposes.  This year students may use their phones during passing times in-between periods and also at lunch.  They can still be used in class if teachers grant permission for educational reasons.  Information is at students fingertips, so why not use that technology at times!  Feedback from students and staff will be collected throughout the 1st semester as well as attendance data to monitor the impact of the change.  Thus far students have responded to the additional responsibility very well and thus far the change has been good.

Another change that is occurring is the emphasis among staff to assess the students learning more routinely and use this to guide and plan instruction.  For example Mrs. Maxwell might ask students to share information they learned in class on sticky notes and place them on the posters that she has in class.  Based on this she can monitor what the students understand and base her planning for instruction on this feedback she gets from the students.

Some teachers are gathering feedback from students at the beginning of units on, "What they know", "What they don't know", and "What they would like to know".  This gives the teacher an idea where to start and a direction to move in that will interest the students.  These are just a couple examples of the assessment tools teachers are using to better meet the needs of students.

The last thing that has also been a big emphasis with students and staff is school pride and the climate and culture of our school.  We've talked about he we can build stronger relationships with students and families and how we can show our students we do care about them as people and not just as students.  The chart below shows how the success rate of students increases significantly when students feel as if just one person cares about them.

Making a significant change in a climate and culture will not occur overnight or even in just one year.  However, I do feel we made good progress in this area last year and with continued effort we will continue to make Belle Plaine Schools a place where every student feels safe and cared for by others who will help them succeed.

Welcome Back!

Now that registration is done it is now time to get down to business!  It was great to have a building full of people here yesterday and see so many parents and students who are ready and excited for the school year.  A huge "Thank You" to all the registration workers who put in a long day of non-stop work.

The year begins with new staff reporting Wednesday August 13th.  At the secondary building we have two new people on staff.  Nathan Johnson is our new Music Director at Belle Plaine and we are very excited to have him join us.  He has been very busy here at school and is very eager to get started.  In the office, Christie Hawkins will be serving as our Guidance Secretary.  We welcome them both to the Belle Plaine family and we look forward to working with them this year.

All staff reports on Thursday and the first day with students is Wednesday August 20th.  The first day will begin with the Flag Raising Ceremony followed by an assembly with all 7-12 students and staff in the gym.

I'm excited for the year to begin and look forward to seeing everyone very soon!

How Twitter Can Be Useful

Throughout the school year I've used this Blog to share information about things occurring here at Belle Plaine as well as share information that can be helpful to students and parents. On most occasions after updating the Blog I will Tweet the link to the Blog to reach an even larger audience of people.  Sharing this info using Twitter has allowed me to connect with other people who can also share beneficial information with me or connect with people who may have interest in what is happening with our school.  I've spoke about Twitter with staff and we've even spent some time learning about Twitter during PD, but some still just view Twitter as an entertaining form of social media rather than a resource.  Actually, it can be used as both.  Depending upon who you follow it can provide whatever type of information you want.  I myself follow mostly educational people but I also follow ESPN, Iowa Hawkeye Sports, and a couple other more entertainment sources.  Twitter also allows individuals to exchange and share in real time.  For example every Sunday night a group of educators mostly from Iowa, but also some from across the country, join together in a conversation about many different educational topics (IAEdChat).  Basically, it becomes a group discussion people can follow along with and participate in if they choose to.  The article below is something I came across on Twitter about why it can be a benefit.  

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter I'm can be found at @ToddWerner1

5 Reasons Every Professional Should Use Twitter

By Todd Greider, Published April 19, 2014

It is my belief that fear keeps most professionals from taking advantage of all that Twitter has to offer.  For those that seek to challenge themselves and overcome fears, Twitter is the place to be.  Here are five reasons why every professional may find value in participating on Twitter.

Listening

First and foremost, the ability to stay current on breaking news, both national and local, should justify being on Twitter for everyone.  When news breaks, it typically appears on Twitter before reaching your local TV news channel.  News Correspondents are finding themselves getting the breaking news from everyday people as it happens.  I recently moved to Sacramento and experienced tornado warnings a few weeks ago.  During the broadcast of the breaking news, I was seeing pictures of the tornadoes on Twitter, then minutes later the local news channels showing the same photos from Twitter posted on the TV.

Learning

Twitter delivers a wealth of information directly to your fingertips.  Individuals and brands share the stage competing for their voice to be heard.  You can find information on virtually any topic spanning every industry.  To get the most out of the platform, I started creating lists, which enabled me to filter specific areas of interest and group the people and information for greater efficiency.  Over time, your lists will become your go-to sources for learning.  In some cases, I use this as a replacement for subscribing to blogs.  For example, my areas of interest are in learning and development (training), marketing, and financial services.  I created list of financial planners, industry organizations, marketers, and training professionals.

Marketing

Think you know marketing?  In my opinion, there is no place more difficult than Twitter to market yourself or your brand. Conveying a message and gaining interest from your target audience in less than 140 characters (actually about 110 characters because you want RTs with commentary which consume the remaining 30 characters) can be a daunting task.  Especially given that there are approximately 241 million monthly active users and 5,700 average tweets per second on the platform (Source).  Getting your message heard will be an uphill battle but is something that is possible with the right strategy, focus, and commitment.  Learning to market yourself and perhaps your company’s brand will place you ahead of your competition.  Why?  If you can build a brand or name for yourself on Twitter, you have proven the ability to deliver concise and purposeful messages that resonate with an audience (that you built for yourself) as well as demonstrated key character traits/skills of great leaders such as creativity, persistence, networking, and great communication to name a few.

Connecting

The networking opportunities are endless when it comes to Twitter.  Since I joined Twitter in May of 2009, I have been fortunate enough to connect with some amazing people from all over the world.  Through my listening, learning, connecting, and personal branding efforts I have built relationships that have evolved over the years.  How did I do it?  I gave more than I took from the platform.  I was willing to share my ideas and my experiences with others without expecting anything in return. In addition, Twitter allows you to connect directly with world-renowned authors, speakers, industry experts, and everyday people like each of us.  We get to share our wisdom gained from both successes and failures while building lasting relationships.

Word of caution:  Not all Twitter accounts are managed by the individuals being portrayed in them (i.e. celebrities, politicians, professional athletes, etc.…)

Branding

Twitter makes it easy to share your knowledge, expertise, and thoughts to a large audience.  If you’re a blogger, Twitter should be one of your primary methods of distributing your content.  Here are two examples of how someone may choose to brand himself or herself on Twitter.  Some have positioned themselves as a Thought Leader (sharing expertise relevant to a niche audience), while others have taken the stance as a Content Curator (sharing the thoughts and ideas of others on a specific topic).  In another piece, I interviewed a Personal Branding expert who has leveraged Twitter among many other resources to build his personal brand (Personal Branding Part 1 and Part 2).

In the end, you get what you put into it.  Invest your time, energy, and resources into Twitter and it will generate results for you.  Focus on building a strategy, listen first and learn how others are using it, then begin to share content.  Also, research tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, and SocialBro to measure your results.  Figure out what works and doesn’t work, and then modify your strategy.  If all else fails, ask for help.   Twitter is a global community of sharing.   There are individuals around the world willing to share their thoughts and ideas to help each other be successful.

Author:

Todd Greider is a seasoned professional with more than 11 years of sales, marketing, as well as learning and development experience. Now as an independent consultant, he focuses on designing and implementing comprehensive learning platforms for organizations to help them reach their organizational development and revenue goals.  

BP's Kayla Toennies Interning in Ethiopia

Since early June, Belle Plaine senior to be Kayla Toennies has been in Ethiopia as part of the Borlaug-Ruan Internship Program.  Kayla was selected from a host of applicants from across the country and is now getting the opportunity to not only learn from some of the best teachers and scientists in the world, but also immerse herself in a new culture that will no doubt be the experience of a lifetime. 

THE BORLAUG-RUAN INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP

A truly unique program inspiring high school students to embark on career paths in science, agriculture and global development.  

The prestigious Borlaug-Ruan international internship provides high school students an all-expenses-paid, eight-week hands-on experience, working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers around the globe.

Over the past 15 years, The World Food Prize has sent more than 200 students on Borlaug-Ruan International Internships at 31 of the top agricultural research centers and institutions around the world in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, including: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Turkey.

The Borlaug-Ruan International Internship is different from other study abroad internship programs in that students participate in original research projects with acclaimed international scientists while getting a firsthand view of pressing food security issues and nutritional problems in poverty-stricken areas of the developing world.

Through the internship program, the student becomes an integral part of her or his assigned project, spending time in the lab, as well as days or weeks at a time in the field, conducting research and gathering data.

Kayla is keeping a Blog about her experience in Ethiopia.  Click on the link below to read about her time in Africa.

Kayla Toennies Blog

End of 2013-2014 School Year

Another school year has come to an end and as of today the building is quiet.  Looking back at the year I feel good about how the year went and excited about the direction we are going in the future.  For the most part students worked hard and made good progress this year.  I will say however that students should be prepared to give even more effort in the upcoming year.  I've always been a fan of the 4 C's in education- COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY, and these are each skills that are going to be an emphasis within our school next year.  During multiple conversations with teachers at the end of the year, the question was asked, "Who is working harder in your classroom, the students or you?" In some cases the teacher is the one working harder and our plan is to shift this responsibility toward the student in the future.  The main message I spoke about at our opening day assembly last fall was about ACCOUNTABILITY.  We made some progress with this over the course of the year, but we still have plenty of room for improvement.  Many students still need to learn to be accountable for their learning and own their data.  Owning their data means they take responsibility for the learning and accept ownership of the grades and scores that they attain that reflect their level of understanding and ability to apply the skills or knowledge.  This level of accountability will be raised even more next year

During our finals days as a staff we spent some time reviewing school and building data about our students.  It generated some very good discussions about students and how we can get more out of them.  We discussed setting a building goal of having 80% of students be proficient and 20% of students be highly proficient in Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science on the Iowa Assessment.  This is a goal that has also been discussed with Mrs. Coover for Longfellow Elementary as well.  With this as a guiding principle our future policies, practices, and decisions can be directed towards how it will support achieving this goal.  This past year we had 7 of 20 areas that met the 80% proficient and just 3 of 20 meet the 20% highly proficient goal.

Lastly, I want to thank the students, staff, parents, and community for a great year!!

Enjoy the summer!

Belle Plaine Runs Well at State Track Meet

This past weekend the Belle Plaine boys and girls track teams ran at the State Track Meet held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.  The highlight of the weekend for the girls was the shuttle hurdle relay team of Larissa Fowler, Shannon Murray, Brialy Carlson, and Justice Yilek who won the event in a time of 1.07:16 which was also a new school record.  The link below shows highlights of area teams at the State Meet and a brief clip of the girls shuttle hurdle relay at the 1:30 mark.

KCRG Sports State Track Highlights

Also performing for the girls were Kameo Pope in the discus and shot put finishing in 17th and 15th in each of those events with throws of 33-02 in the shot put and 102-06 in the discus.  Justice Yilek also ran in the 400 M Dash finishing 20th in a personal best time of 1:03.58.  Congratulations to the Girls track team and coaches on a great season.

The Belle Plaine Boys Track team also had a strong showing at the State Meet scoring 26 team points in four different events placing them 8th overall.  Highlights were in the 4 x 800 M Relay with Josh Long, Trey Squiers, Robert Brown, and Orie Brown placing 2nd overall in a time of 8:17.07 and Distance Medley also finishing 2nd in a time of 3:39.51.  The Distance Medley team consisted of Vance Bohlen, Trenton Young, Josh Long, and Trey Squiers.  Also scoring points were Justin Jacobi in the 110 M High Hurdles finishing 3rd in a time of 15.46 and Trey Squiers placing 5th in the 1600 M Run in a time of 4:37.99.  Congratulations to all the coaches and team members on a great season.