Kindergarten Experience

February 9, 2012

Parents of Preschoolers please join us Thursday, February 9, 2012, at Longfellow Elementary from 6:00pm-7:00pm for the Council Bluffs Community School District's Kindergarten Experience. Please click here for more information.

Google and District Celebrate Technology in High School Classrooms

Google product managers, software engineers, and marketing and data center representatives mingled with students at Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln High Schools on January 31st to help celebrate the integration of Google Chromebooks in classrooms. The Council Bluffs Schools were among a small group of school districts to test and purchase Chromebooks.

Students in the District have been part of an exclusive group involved in the testing of the Chromebook prototype since last year. Upon release of the Chromebooks this year, the District has placed a total of 1,500 Chromebooks in the classrooms of high school teachers, and middle school model teachers. With funding and Board of Education approval, an additional 2,800 Chromebooks could be added next year at the high schools and will extend the to initiative to the middle school level.

“We recognize the power of technology as a tool to excite students about school and accelerate their learning,” Superintendent Martha Bruckner said. “And we applaud our teaching staff who are using the Chromebooks along with proven teaching strategies to effectively deliver instruction in the classroom.  We are seeing the positive effect on student interaction and quality of work.”

DECA Members Place at District Competition

Congratulations to the following DECA

members who competed at the DECA District 3 Competition in Des Moines on January 18. The following students received plaques or certificates for their accomplishments.

Abraham Lincoln High School

First Place:  Ryan Fee & Cody Young in Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team event

First Place:  Jordan Rehfeldt & Paige Wambold in Travel & Tourism Marketing Team event

Third Place:  Alexis Prazak in Apparel & Accessories marketing

Third Place:  Blake Willadsen in Principles of Business Administration and Management

Fourth Place:  Lisa Chapman in Restaurant and Food Service Management

Eighth Place:  Billy Coats in Retail Merchandising

Ninth Place:  Lauren Myers in Principles of Business Administration and Management

Thomas Jefferson High School

Fifth Place: Jake Morgan & Mikey Wallace in Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making

Seventh Place: Conor Hilz in Restaurant & Food Service Management

 

Thomas Jefferson Student Gets Poem Published

Michael Wilkins, a Senior at Thomas Jefferson High School, will be published in the Stars in our Hearts collection of poetry. Through a scholarship program, the World Poetry Movement, takes student submitted poetry and puts them through a selection commitee to be named semi-finalists in the International Open Poetry Contest. Semi-finalists will be published in the book and entered to receive cash and prizes. Congratulations to Michael, on this great achievement. Click here to view his poem, "To Serve."

First Night Art Contest

                 

Art teachers from the district submitted pieces by students to be entered in the 2012 First Night Contest. 1st place winners' artwork will be displayed in the courthouse for the year, while 2nd and 3rd place winners' artwork was displayed at Bloomer Elementary during the First Night festivities. Please click on the 1st place winne'rs name to view a photo of them with Mayor Tom Hanafan, from the award ceremony. Please click on the first place winners to see their photos. Congratulations to the winners!

Kindergarten

1. Jariel Mota                 Roosevelt

2. Stephanie Martinez     Roosevelt

1st Grade

1. Ethan Bose                Roosevelt

2. Emilee Weseen          Lewis & Clark

3. Abby Franks              Roosevelt

2nd Grade

1. Ethan Savala               Rue

2. Colton Shafer               Roosevelt

3. Wynter-Jade Church     Edison

3rd Grade

1. Trisha Ranches             Edison

2. Jeanette Rice                Rue

3. Shaelyn Rocha              Edison

4th Grade

1. Micah Kosiba                Edison

2. America Viveros            Longfellow

3. Abbigale Olson              Longfellow

5th Grade

1. Brady Carroll                 Roosevelt

2. Marissa Krussel            Longfellow

3. Dylan Sales                  Roosevelt

7th Grade

1. Brittnie Jackson            Wilson

2. Alex McConkey             Kirn

8th Grade

1. Nick Beck                     Kirn

2. Donovan Black              Kirn

3. Maranda Melton            Wilson

10th Grade

1. Allysa Gustafson           TJHS

2. Allysa Gustafson           TJHS

11th Grade

1. Julia Hetrick                  ALHS

2. Jackie Lemus                TJHS

3. Julia Hetrick                  ALHS

12th Grade

1. Rudy Sherman              ALHS

2. Beth Larson                  TJHS

3. Rudy Sherman              ALHS

Studio Art Program Gives Thomas Jefferson Student Great Opportunity

            

Kent Bellows Studio in Omaha has selected Thomas Jefferson freshman Tyler West as a participant in an after school art program. After a rigorous application and interview process, only about 10 students from the Omaha area are selected to participate. Those chosen will meet twice a week and work on both group and individual art projects, along side established artists in the area.  At the end of each semester, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts provides framing and finishing products for their art.  Students are able to sell their art while on exhibit in Omaha for a month.  Students get to keep about 60% of the profit.  Congratulations to Tyler West for this wonderful achievement!

Student Musicians Selected for SWI Honor Band

Thirty-eight student musicians from Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson were selected for the SWI Honor Band. They qualified through a rigorous audition on December 10th.

First Chair:

Tuba 1 Steven Munson

Flute 1-3 Lexi Nadler
Bb Clarinet 1-2 Ashley Mohling

Bb Clarinet 1-2 Ashley Mohling

Trumpet 1-1 Kevin Roark
Trumpet 1-2 Jared Thompson

Mallet 1 Noah Larsen
Timpani 1 Victoria Krohn

Bb Clarinet 1-4 Olivia Petersen

Second Chair:

Flute 2-2 Kari McDermott
Flute 2-3 Mallory Huggins
Flute 2-4 Danielle Rice
Bass Clarinet 1 Nathasha Konfrst
Alto Sax 2-1 Payton Shively
Tenor Sax 1 Shannon Holmes
Tenor Sax 2 Zane Rau
Trumpet 2-2 Kiril Poshchenko
Trumpet 3-1 Philip Dickenson
French Horn 2-2 Hannah Goldapp
Trombone 2-1 Katie Hummel
Trombone 2-2 Alex Beck
Bb Clarinet 2-6 Chelsea Evet
Mallet 2 Ryan Koontz
Percussion 2 Isabella Taylor

Tenor Sax 2 Caleb Ferleman
Trombone 2-1 Uki Colman

Bb Clarinet 3-1 Britteny Rupp
Bb Clarinet 3-2 Hope Philbrick
Bb Clarinet 3-5 Ellie Croson
Percussion 4 Laura Capel

Thomas Jefferson:

First Chair:

Bassoon 1 Patrick O'Brein

Bb Clarinet 1-4 Sabrina Fox
Bb Clarinet 1-6 Kathryn Adams

Second Chair:
Bb Clarinet 2-6 Gabby Higgins

Flute 2-3 Alyssa Wiley
Trombone 2-3 Zach Dahlheimer
Tuba 3 Brandon Brown

Record Turnout for IWCC Speech Tourney:

CB Students Among Top Winners

Winner Speakers are pictured left to right:
1st place - Whitney Thompson of Lake Mills, Iowa 
2nd place - Jenna Wredt of Council Bluffs 

 3rd place - Samantha Pike of Council Bluffs   
4th place - Daren Baller of Sioux City, Iowa  
5th place- Kaylee Carlberg of Sioux City, Iowa  
6th place- Maria Brown of Council Bluffs

7th place- Siarra Means of Griswold, Iowa 

On November 15, twelve Council Bluffs students competed in the annual fall Invitational Speech Tournament on the Iowa Western Community College campus. More than 60 students participated in 8 rounds of preliminary competition for first-place bids and the opportunity to advance to the evening’s final round of competition.

Speakers who placed first in their respective rounds and advanced to the evening’s finals included Tucker Center students: Maria Brown, 6th place overall; Samantha Pike, 3rd place overall; and Jenna Wredt, 2nd place overall.

Also representing Council Bluffs at the tournament were Thomas Jefferson speech students Daysha Kelly and Sarah Ingwerson, and Tucker Center speech students: Victoria Harte-Maxwell, Jenna Hyde, Alexander Klement, Monique Stuck, Jason Wert and Dena Wilwerding.

1st Trimester 2011-12

School Year Student Honor Roll Announced

Click here to view the Student Honor Roll List for Middle Schools and High Schools for the 1st Trimester of the 2011-12 School Year. Congratulations to our students for their commitment to excellence this 1st trimester!

Board Approves

2012-13 Calendar

The Board of Education approved the District's 2012-13 School Calendar during the Board of Education meeting on December 13th.  It is similar to this current year's calendar. The first day of school for students would be Wednesday, August 15th and the last student day would be May 24th. Potentia snow day make-up days are built into the calendar at the end of the winter break, at the end of the second trimester and at the end of the spring break, with a few at the end of the year, just in case. An announcement would be made prior to the beginning of the breaks if the make up days will be necessary. Click here to view proposed calendar.

 

Community Education Foundation Awards 24 Classroom Grants

The Council Bluffs Community Education Foundation announced on November 21st this year’s Classroom Grants, totalling more thank $11,000. For 12 years now, the Foundation annually solicits grant applications from teachers of the Council Bluffs Community School District. To see a complete article and listing of award recipients, please click here.

Middle and High School Students to See New Report Card Feature:

21st Century Skills
Employability Scores

Middle and High School students and their parents should will notice a new report that lists an Employability Skills score for each class. This report is designed for students to understand the level at which they are demonstrating important 21st Century skills in each classroom and provide a good indicator of student work habits that could help or hinder classroom or workplace performance.

The four areas of 21st Century Employability skills and attributes that can affect success in and out of the classroom are:

1. Participation
2. Work completion
3. Behavior
4. Working with Others

Students receive scores on a scale of 0-4. A score of 4 in any skill area means the student has demonstrated mastery in the skill. A score of 0 means the student is not meeting the minimum standard in the skill area.

Parents and students are encouraged to treat the Employability Scores like academic grades. Reflect on how each score was earned, and recognize the strengths as well as the skills that can be improved. Parents can join teachers in reinforcing the importance of these skills now and in the future.

The Council Bluffs Community School District developed this research-based Employability Skills Rubric in line with best practices in grading and with Iowa 21st Century skill standards. It measures a separate set of skills than the grades for academic achievement and does not affect a student's grade point average (GPA), credit earned or class rank.