friends of johnston elp newsletter winter 2017€¦ · real-world project: designing a fence to...
TRANSCRIPT
2016-2017 Board Members
Beth Frantum, President Lawson, Summit
Jenny Lashier, VP/Secretary Beaver Creek, Summit [email protected]
Amy Johnson, Past President Wallace
Valerie Thacker, Treasurer Summit, Johnston High School
Alissa Weber, Asst. Treasurer Wallace
Kristin Urness Database Coordinator
TimberRidge [email protected]
Mandy Dummermuth Communications Coordinator
Beaver Creek, Summit [email protected]
Hena Guo, New Member Liaison Horizon
Jean Sweet, Fundraising Lawson, Summit [email protected]
Contact us anytime at [email protected]
Friends of Johnston ELP Newsletter
Winter 2017
STRONG ATTENDANCE AT JANUARY ELP PROGRAM
Over 104 people attended the 2nd Parent Program of the school year on
Monday, Jan 9th entitled, "Navigating High School and Preparing for College”,
a panel of recently graduated Johnston ELP students. There were some
very informative and funny moments, and we are grateful to our panelists for
sharing their thoughts and insights about all areas of life including education,
social aspects and emotional well-being. Thanks to all who attended, and thank
you once again to our panelists who took time out of their busy schedules to be
with us!
Kathy Paul JCSD ELP Coordinator
MS 8-9 ELP
Assessment, training
515-278-0476
Contact via email
Sue Cline JHS Advanced Placement 515-278-0449
Contact after 3pm or
via e-mail anytime
Mitzi Hetherton Wallace and Lawson 515-278-0478 (Lawson)
515-278-6977 (Wallace)
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Nicole Para-
dise Williams
TimberRidge 515-331-4379
nparadise-
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Kristen Hartman Beaver Creek 515-278-6228 Kris-
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Colleen Ites Summit 515-986-0318
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Kate Florer Horizon 515-986-1121
Contact by e-mail or
phone
2016-2017 ELP Staff
Like us on Facebook at Friends of Johnston ELP!
Final JELP Program of the Year!
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2017
Location: JMS Library
Topic: Mindset
Presented by Dr. Robyn Cooper and Dr. Catherine Gillespie
Friends of Johnston ELP Program News
MIDDLE SCHOOL BELIN- BLANK SUMMER PROGRAM NOMINEES
The following students will represent Johnston Middle School as nominees for this year’s University of Iowa’s
Belin-Blank Summer Institute:
Megan Jones—Advanced Science
Ryan Freidhoff—Math Problem Solving
Mikayla Lies—Creative Writing
Kathryn Christy—Social Sciences
Catreena Wang—Global/cultural
Kyle Lastine—Invention and Innovation
Riley Anderson—Visual Arts
The following students will represent Summit Middle School as nominees for this year’s University of Iowa’s
Belin-Blank Summer Institute:
Emma Dummermuth—Advanced Science
Hayley Hanson—Math Problem Solving
Elisa Henrichsen—Creative Writing
Ellie Lashier—Social Sciences
Katie Sweet—Global/cultural
Beatriz La Rota—Invention and Innovation
Ainsley Proctor—Visual Arts
Justin Vis—Performing Arts
The students underwent a rigorous nomination process from the school district and will be submitted along
with students across the state for an opportunity to be selected for a week-long summer residential institute
held in Iowa City. Each student selected will receive a partial program scholarship, as well as a scholarship
towards future admission at the University of Iowa. The students work with specialists in the chosen area and
have an opportunity to take advantage of many opportunities on campus.
Students will learn in late March whether or not they are selected for the opportunity.
Friends of Johnston ELP Program News
Submitted by Kathy Paul, Joy Wiebers & Colleen Ites
Planning for Future Services at Summit
As we look to improve services for students, a few changes are underway at Summit for next year. Summit
has one full time ELP teacher who currently works with students in one of two ways: in classes that take the
place of exploratory classes or in Summit Strong extension groups. This has left no time for collaboration
with classroom teachers and working with students within classrooms. Next year,
Mrs. Ites will continue to work with identified 6th grade students during Summit
Strong times, but she will also work with students who are clustered for strengths
directly in the classroom and will collaborate and model teaching strategies in the
general education classroom. We anticipate incorporating more of this best
practice for ELP instruction into our seventh grade the following year.
AmazonSmile
Are you an online shopper? Please consider shopping through AmazonSmile! The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile
program. Each quarter, the AmazonSmile Foundation makes donations based on eligible purchases to eligible charitable organizations, such as Friends of Johnston ELP, by electronic funds transfer. When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization (please select Friends of Johnston ELP) from almost one million eligible organizations. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the customer’s selected charitable organization. Please consider selecting "Friends of Johnston ELP" for future Amazon purchases or use the following link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-0785970.
News from Johnston Elementary Schools
Submitted by Mitzi Hetherton, Nicole Paradise-Williams, Kristen Hartman, Kate Florer
There are a variety of things happening in elementary buildings across the district. These are just some of
the wonderful learning opportunities in which students have been engaged.
Kindergarten Whole class lessons are being taught in classrooms. These lessons are designed to help identify gifted and
talented behaviors in young childen. First Grade Whole class lessons are taught in classrooms to help identify gifted and talented behaviors in young children
World of Wild Wacky Words, a gifted curriculum – students are studying early writing to understand our language
system
Publishing an ABC book on outer space
Word ladders
Exploring the genre of mystery through chapter books and picture books
STEM unit on Rolling Things which aligns and extends beyond the classroom science curriculum
Visual Spatial building activities
Thinking activities: convergent/deductive, analytical and/or evaluative
Math puzzles and number games
Try-A-Tiles
Exploring the website Sumdog – students love the fast-past competition
Coin combinations
Studying sets and Venn diagrams
Second Grade The history of chocolate, Milton Hershey, The Chocolate Touch, and the process of producing chocolate
Beyond Words, a gifted curriculum, including a book study of Frindle
Exploring area and measurement
Exploring circuits using Snap Circuits (thanks to JELP for funding this opportunity!)
Time
Money
Try-A-Tiles Subtraction
Inquiry Based Learning
Coin Clue Puzzles
Logic Puzzles
Sticking Up for Yourself—SIGMA (social emotion- al
Third Grade Completed Grammar Islance
Sentence Island
Building Language and Greek Mythology
Literature Circles
MoLi Stone—Gifted curriculum
Spatial Reasoning—Gifted curriculum
Real-world project: designing a fence to build around the playground and price out the cost,
including a proposal as to why the school should choose the company for their project
Area and perimeter
Exploring circuits using Snap Circuits (thanks to JELP for funding this opportunity!)
Getting Organized—SIGMA (social emotional)
Affective Cognitive Thinking activities—SIGMA (thanks to JELP for funding this resource!)
News from Johnston Elementary Schools
Submitted by Mitzi Hetherton, Nicole Paradise-Williams, Kristen Hartman, Kate Florer
Fourth Grade Caesar’s English—a study of Latin stems and advanced vocabulary
Paragraph Town
The Phantom Tollbooth (provided by JELP funds)
Letters about Literature
Stock Market Game
Math Olympiads
Beyond Base Ten—gifted curriculum
Fractions
Gifted Kids Survival Guide—SIGMA (social emotional)
Discussed the 8 Great Gripes of Gifted Students—SIGMA (social emotional)
Friendships—SIGMA (social emotional)
Fifth Grade Most fifth grade groups have completed their grammar study
Letters about Literature
Caesar’s English—a study of Latin stems and advanced vocabulary
Autobiographies and Memories, a gifted curriculum—students read and responded to the life of an author; they are
looking at people’s life through photobiographies and will eventually write their own biography
Literature Reflections, a gifted curriculum—students are reading The Secret Garden and one other novel of choice
to compare/contrast and to study the concept of change. They will look at other literature in the form of short story,
poetry and nonfiction as well.
Horizon Newspaper
Independent research projects about Newspaper writing inventions, careers, travel, or a topic of choice
One student is going to London over Spring Break. She chose an independent topic of learning about things to do in
London and what to expect in a “Kids Guide to London” format
Stock Market Game
Math Olympiads
Algebra
Gifted Kids Survival Guide—SIGMA (social emotional)
Perfectionism—SIGMA (social emotional)
Reading Gordon Korman’s Ungifted as a means of discussing issues gifted students face—SIGMA
DUOLINGO
A Tree
By Grace, 2nd Grader, Wallace
A tree is a magnificent thing, like a horse.
Its trunk is long, like a giraffe's neck.
Its branches sway, like an eagle's wings.
Its leaves are like butterflies on flowers.
Its bark is as scratchy as a lion's claws.
Its roots dig down deep, like a mole.
Its glorious structure is like a jewel.
Its leaves are as green as an emerald.
Its bark is as brown as chocolate.
Its trunk is very brown, like a dog's nose.
Elementary School Fun
Submitted by Mitzi Hetherton, Nicole Paradise-Williams, Kristen Hartman, Kate Florer
Elementary School Fun
Submitted by Mitzi Hetherton, Nicole Paradise-Williams, Kristen Hartman, Kate Florer
News from Summit Middle School
Submitted by Colleen Ites
6TH GRADE This Winter some of our 6th grader Humanities students have been further developing their research skills by focusing this the National History Day theme of "Taking a Stand in History." Students have utilized NoodleTools as a place to organize and build a strong thesis paragraph and annotated bibliography. Students have worked hard to develop well-crafted research, and some are planning on creating final projects from their research to compete at the Merle Hay District Iowa History Day contest in April. Another group of 6th grade Humanities students will start their research during Quarter Three. Sixth grade STEM students have chosen and analyzed world problems to solve and are in groups to find solutions, including how to solve the electricity problem in Monrovia, Liberia, how to clean water in rural Nepal, and how to stop ivory poaching worldwide. Students completed an in-depth problem analysis by choosing a specific place, problem, and population sub-group. Using a variety of data sources from governments, non-government organizations (NGOs), and aid organizations, students are utilizing mapping and data analysis tools to use basic actuary skills and create possible solution streams. Each student group will create a 4-6 minute TED.com style video to share their findings. In December sixth grade STEM students had the opportunity to visit Iowa State University and tour the 3D Metals Additive, John Deere Machining, Sukup Aluminum Milling, and the ADM Biorenewables Research Labs. After lunch at the Union Drive Marketplace, students participated in the Fall 2016 College of Engineering Design Expo. Here the students meet with ISU Engineering Design teams to see how they chose, analyzed, and solve world problems in the developing world, similar to the content covered in our Summit ELP STEM classes. Photos of the day can be found at the Iowa State Flickr stream here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/isu-mechanical-engineering/sets/72157673516780244. .
7TH GRADE Seventh grade Humanities students have also chosen a topic wrapped in this year's NHD theme of "Taking a Stand in History." Students have utilized NoodleTools to develop well-researched and high-quality annotated bibliographies and rough draft process papers. For Quarter three ELP Humanities seventh graders will create products based on their research that they will present at the Language Arts Showcase in March. Students will also develop creative writing pieces into a portfolio to also present at the Showcase in March. Seventh grade STEM students in Architecture and Engineering are creating a wiki of items they have researched that are from the fields of architecture or structural engineering. Students also solve a chosen problem in architecture or structural engineering by creating a structure or improving a specific building process utilizing CAD softwares, and will be using 3D pens to practice in additive manufacturing.
6th grade STEM students with AstroCy in Howe Hall at the
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Johnston Middle School
Submitted by Kathy Paul
National History Day
Work is underway on projects for the 2017 contest, coming up on Saturday, April 8 at Grandview University. Students have been working on topic and theme selection as well as initial research centered on this year’s theme: “Taking a Stand in History”. Early in the year, students had the chance to attend a workshop at the State Historical Building related to research and the theme. 8th and 9th grade Middle School students will conduct research at the Drake University library. Each student has chosen to work independently or in a small group and will decide which method of presentation best suits his/her needs. Some are trying out a new category, and others are refining skills in a particular area. Students in 8th grade are searching for a variety of sources, and 9th graders have created a second draft to their project.
There are thirty-five students working on projects, so extensive research is underway! Topics vary widely from political, technological, social, and cultural issues. Some 9th grade topics include the Tinker case, Iowa Civil Rights leader Edna Griffin, Jack Trice, the Manhattan Project, Turkish leader Ataturk, Vietnam Memorial designer Maya Lin, and John Brown. Each student will present their unique spin on the topic and we look forward to viewing the results!
Advanced Language Arts Classes
8th grade advanced language arts provide daily challenge by promoting advanced skills in writing, speaking, and reading. Recently, students presented their a project through a “coffee house” format for literacy where information such as book jacket, a learning game, original music with a written explanation were presented to their peers. Currently, students are also presenting speeches where they chose the role, audience, purpose and topic. The choices were a eulogy, graduation commencement speech, award speech, motivational speech, school board presentation speech, or persuasive speech.
The goals are threefold: Demonstrate an elaborate understanding of theme and theme development; demonstrate a deep understanding of characterization and point of view by taking on the role of a particular character, and organize and present an effective speech using very real-world speech structures they may all encounter some day.
Exploratory classes to enrich language arts experiences continued this fall. A Mock Trial exploratory, journalism, speech, drama, classes were also taught in response to student requests.
In the 9th grade, students had the option to select an advanced language arts class. Kathy Paul works with the language arts teachers to assist with assessment, extensions and advanced resources as needed. Currently students are making their group oral presentations on how the media impacts them as a high school student in society.
Johnston High School News
Submitted by Sue Cline and Kathy Paul
High School Mock Trial
Some ELP students at the HS choose to participate in
the competitive mock trial program, which involves
studying a case, developing a theme and the relevant
lawyer and witness parts, and presenting both sides of
the case to attorneys for evaluation. This year’s case
finds us with a civil case related to a computer app
developed by a student.
Ninety students in grades nine to twelve form nine
teams who work for approximately ninety days on this
project. In addition, each team has an adult sponsor
and/or attorney coach who works with the process.
Thank-you to these individuals for their time and
energy! The teams are preparing for their March 1
district competition.
High School Happenings
We've come to the end of the first semester of the
year, with lots of fun and learning happening in ELP
class. I am always amazed at what students have
accomplished as they share the results of their
semester of work. Projects ranged from learning
new languages to preparing for National History
Day, and from scholarship searches to building a
model Mars rover. In addition to learning about
their subjects, students experienced an opportunity
to create their own learning and then challenge
themselves through the problem-solving and
self-discipline required to complete it.
ELP 10-12 had a unique experience in November
by participating in an international simulation
designed by class members. Aaron K. and Tyler O.
created an experience where groups would design
a government for a hypothetical country, and then
spend a class period interacting with the other
countries in the class. The process became
significantly uncomfortable, when alliances and
conflicts arose. In one class, nuclear war broke
out. Luckily, the other two
class periods were able to
keep problems from becoming
that intense! The process of
student-designed activities
has led Mrs. Cline to place
more activities into student
hands, so the next semester
will be interesting!
Prithvi J. built and programmed a blimp, which he demonstrated for us.
Michael W. did in-depth research on the structures of the eye and created a large, very accurate model to demonstrate for the class.
Karsten T. experimented with painting and design, illustrated by two logos she designed related to her interests
Anna J. worked diligently practicing new music for her violin
Countries Negotiating!