May 14, 2014
A Marketing Supplement of Sauk Valley Media
DIXON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
A Place to Grow All content submitted by Dixon Public Schools
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Dixon Public Schools
DIXON PUBLIC SCHOOLS #170 1335 Franklin Grove Road, Dixon, IL s WWWDIXONSCHOOLSORG April 30, 2014
ATTEND *EFFERSON 3CHOOL AND FOURTH AND lFTH GRADE 'REETINGS
STUDENTS WILL ATTEND -ADISON 3CHOOL WHICH IS AN 4HE END OF EACH SCHOOL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL WITHIN YEAR BRINGS MANY EXCITING THE CURRENT 2EAGAN -IDDLE EVENTS HONORS AND AC3CHOOL COMPLEX 4O BETTER TIVITIES AND THIS YEAR IS NO FAMILIARIZE STUDENTS AND DIFFERENT 4O BORROW AND PARENTS WITH THE TRANSIPERSONALIZE A POPULAR SAYTION THERE WILL BE AN /PEN ING h)T IS A GREAT DAY TO BE (OUSE FOR ALL FOURTH AND A $IXON $UKE OR $UCHESSv lFTH GRADE STUDENTS AT -ADI)T IS TRULY SATISFYING TO SEE SO MANY SON 3CHOOL ON 7EDNESDAY -AY ST OF OUR STUDENTS INVOLVED IN SO MANY AT PM /N THE SAME NIGHT THERE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES 2ESEARCH ON THE WILL ALSO BE AN /PEN (OUSE FOR 2EAACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS GAN -IDDLE 3CHOOL STUDENTS AT INVOLVED IN EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES PM $URING BOTH /PEN (OUSES QUESCLEARLY SHOWS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TIONS WILL BE ANSWERED REGARDING DROP PARTICIPATION AND BETTER EDUCATIONAL OFFPICK UP TRAFlC mOW LUNCH OPTIONS OUTCOMES -Y HOPE IS THAT THE TREND AND CLASSROOM LOCATIONS !S THE DATE TO PARTICIPATE IN EXTRA CURRICULAR ACGETS CLOSER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TIVITIES CONTINUES TO GROW AS THEY HAVE PERTAINING TO THE /PEN (OUSES WILL BE SO MUCH TO OFFER SENT OUT 4HE SEVERE WINTER WEATHER AFFECTED THE SCHOOL CALENDAR AS ALL lVE EMERGENCY DAYS WERE USED PRIOR TO &EBRUARY AND THERE WAS CONCERN THAT MORE WOULD BE NEEDED 4HE SCHOOL CALENDAR HAS TEN EMERGENCY DAYS BUILT INTO IT TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS WILL NOT LOSE INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS IF INCLEMENT WEATHER IS AGAIN AN ISSUE 4HE LAST DAY FOR STUDENT ATTENDANCE FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE 7EDNESDAY *UNE TH AND THE STUDENT ATTENDANCE HOURS ON THAT DAY WILL BE FROM AM UNTIL AM "USES WILL RUN THEIR REGULAR ROUTES 2EPORT CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON &RIDAY *UNE TH AND THERE WILL BE THREE OPTIONS FOR OBTAINING THEM PARENTS CAN REQUEST THAT THEIR CHILDS REPORT CARD BE EMAILED TO THEM THE REPORT CARD CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE 0ARENT 0ORTAL OR THE REPORT CARD CAN BE PICKED UP AT THE CHILDS SCHOOL
4HE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF DATES FOR YOUR INFORMATION AS THIS YEAR COMES TO A CLOSE
,INCOLN 3CHOOL WILL NOT BE USED AS AN ATTENDANCE CENTER NEXT YEAR AS SECOND AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS WILL
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4ELEGRAPH s May 14, 2014
-AY s Telegraph
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Dixon Public Schools
DIXON HIGH SCHOOL Ninth through Twelfth Grade, Dr. Mike Grady, Principal 300 Lincoln Statue Dr., Dixon, IL 815-284-7723 Dixon High School Key Club Dixon High School Key Club attended the 2014 Illinois-Iowa District Convention at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield Illinois on February 28th and March 1st. The convention was cut short one day because of inclement weather, but the event was not short of memorable experiences and good times. The Dixon contingent had the opportunity to win many awards, meet with other clubs to share experiences and ideas, and solidify their commitment to service within the Dixon community. Pictured from left to right are: Current President Rachel Gascoigne, retired Lieutenant Governor Kari Wolfe, Faculty Advisor Lee Eastman, member Catherine Weinzierl, current Lieutenant Governor Katie Hammitt, President Elect Zoey Colglazier, member Devon Jensen, and Kiwanis Advisor Geoff Vanderlin.
The Dixon High School Counselors in conjunction with John Thompson and the Dixon Area Chamber of Commerce organized and hosted a Career Fair at the Dixon High School Gymnasium on Friday, April 11th. Every Dixon High School student and all the 8th grade students from Reagan Middle School were given the opportunity to interview and interact with over 20 local businesses throughout the day. The people representing the various businesses were excited to share career information that would help students make good decisions related to their future college and career goals. The Career Fair was well received by both the community participants as well as the students. We look forward to future Career Fairs and hope to see this event grow in order to expose the students of the Dixon Public Schools to the many career options and opportunities in this area.
Dixon High School Senior, Kylian Lally, at the York Invitational on April 25, 2014 broke the school record in the 800m run with a time of 1:55.77. The previous record was 1:56.20 run by Eric Hanson in 1986.
TOGA! Toga! Toga! at DHS
Sophomore English Students in Mrs. Beck’s, Mrs. Gingras’s, and Mrs. Hansen’s classes celebrated the successful study of the Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Julius Caesar with their annual Toga Day on April 11th. The celebration included wearing togas, sharing a Roman feast and playing games titled You Don’t Know Julius and Caesar Bingo. Most students participated and enjoyed the day of celebration.
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The Dixon High School Math teachers Tracy DuRall, Jamie Brigl, Jason Mead and Jessica Anderson have been asked to be on the Illinois State Board of Education review team for the Common Core State Standards for high school math. They have been working summers for the last three years to learn about the standards and how to implement them into the DHS curriculum. This year, 20132014, is the roll out of the CCSS curriculum with the implementation of the first class, Math I. Math II will begin in the year 2014-2015, and the following year, 2015-2016, Math III.
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4ELEGRAPH s May 14, 2014
Dixon Public Schools
REAGAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Spring Has Sprung in PreK!
The warmer weather is finally here and our Early Bird PreK and ECE students are busy studying everything spring! Birds, bugs, breezes, and blossoms have been just some of the topics covered in the classrooms. In Mrs. Garbutt and Ms. Davis’ class, the students studied the weather. A “storm� sensory table was created with lightning bolts and rain clouds. After the storm, the students studied their colors by making rainbows. Now it’s on to seed planting and caterpillars cocooning. In Ms. Babin and Mrs. Scholl’s class, the students got a little help from Humpty Dumpty to find out what eggs are all about. They performed numerous “eggsperiments� in and out of the classroom. They learned what animals lay eggs and the different sizes and colors of eggs. And now, with the University of Illinois Extension Office’s incubator, all 4 classrooms are helping with the care of 24 chicken eggs. It is our hope that in a few weeks we will have baby chicks hatching. The students are very excited about this upcoming event and the teachers are excited to have such enthusiastic learners!
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Sixth through Eighth Grade, Andrew Bullock, Principal 620 Division St., Dixon, IL 815-284-7725 Summer Reading Ideas Need some great ideas for summer reading? The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award 2015 Master List is a great place to start! The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award is an annual award given to the author of the book voted most outstanding by students in grades four through eight. The award is named in honor of Rebecca Caudill who lived and wrote in Urbana, Illinois for almost 50 years. Many children and young adults have enjoyed her books through the years. At Reagan Middle School a party is held for the students who have read and passed the test on at least three of the current year’s list. During the party the students vote for their favorite book and enjoy refreshments. Who doesn’t like cookies, prizes (books and other goodies), and time with other classmates who love to read? This year, Raksha Hombal read and passed the test on all twenty titles! Her name will be added to a plaque in the library honoring students who have made this significant accomplishment. Include qualifying for next year’s party part of your summer reading goal. Enjoy!
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REAGAN MIDDLE SCHOOL cont. 2015 Master List Almost Home, Bauer Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, Sheinkin Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading, Greenwald Chuck Close: Face Book, Close The Clockwork Three, Kirby A Diamond in the Desert, Fitzmaurice Dogs on Duty: Soldier’s Best Friend on the Battlefield and Beyond, Patent The False Prince, Nielsen The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook, Rocklin Legend, Lu A Long Walk to Water, Park Navigating Early, Vanderpool Never Say Die, Hobbs The One and Only Ivan, Applegate One for the Murphys, Hunt Saving Zasha, Barrow Slob, Potter Tuesdays at the Castle, George Ungifted, Korman Unstoppable, Green
6th Grade Exploring Space
In Science, the 6th Grade students have been working on one of NASAs Best Engineering Challenges. Together, students have been using the NASA engineering model to create satellites, rovers and crew vehicles to be launched in class. Throughout this project, students have had the opportunity to learn about the field of engineering, enhance their critical thinking and problem solving skills, and become familiar with the milestones of American Space Exploration. The students shown in the picture are launching their lunar satellite.
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Dixon Public Schools
Elks Lodges Written by: Jennifer Johnston Each year Elks Lodges across the nation reach out to students in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades to submit essays on a particular theme. This year the topic was, “What Does America Mean to Me?” and a sixth grade student from Reagan Middle School, Madilyn Barnhart, took the top prize. She will receive a 1,150 dollar scholarship for winning all three levels. She and her family will receive one night lodging along with banquet tickets to attend the Illinois Elks State Convention in Springfield, IL the third weekend in May. There she will have the opportunity to read her essay and receive her awards. Abbie Devine, RMS eighth grader, also took home a second place prize for a 200 dollar scholarship. “What Does America Mean to Me” Madilyn Barnhart Freedom, dreams, and bravery are all words I would use to describe my country, America. Our country has freedom, freedom of religion and freedom of speech. We also have rights like the right to vote and the right to education. There are many more, but if America didn’t have these freedoms, we wouldn’t be the country that we are today. Freedom is taken for granted some times, but it is a big deal and makes the biggest difference. Bravery is another thing that makes our country amazing. Our soldiers are out in battle every day not only for themselves, but for their country, their family, and for the lives of others. They are brave enough to fight. To me, our soldiers are the definition of bravery. They are the reason we have everything we have today. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Our country wouldn’t be the same without dreams. Dreams of a better future, like Martin Luther King Jr. because our dreams are not made real by words, but by our actions we take. Every dream that becomes reality gives hope to others that their dream will come true too. America, to me, is beautiful. To me it is filled with things not seen. It is filled with hope, love, friendship, and happiness. The future can only be better. Even in the past when there were slaves, or no freedom, and our country has only become better since those dark times. So now you know what America means to me. America is not the same without things like freedom, dreams, and bravery.
Global Citizenship at RMS By: Kaelyn Munson & David Binkley Global Citizenship means that even though you were born in your country, you should care about everyone around the world. This year 7th grade students at Reagan Middle School are fighting infectious diseases in India and America, mainly tuberculosis. We are a group of students that meet during lunch to come up with activities to raise awareness and money for children in need. This year the money we raise will support children in America and provide children with immunizations in India. Our motto is “The Shot Felt around the World” which will be on the t-shirts we helped design this year. T-shirt order forms can be found at www. dixonpublicschools.org. Our project goal is $3,000! The two organizations that we will be donating the money to are Doctors without Borders and the American Red Cross. So far we have sold pop during lunch and plan on participating in the Student Council sponsored RMS Talent Show and bake sale. If you want to donate, checks can be made out to the RMS Global Project Fund and sent to Reagan Middle School, 620 Division St. We believe that even though we are in a different country, we should care about people all around the world!
RMS - DHS Winter Concert
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4ELEGRAPH s May 14, 2014
Dixon Public Schools
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Fourth and Fifth Grade, Joe Sagel, Principal 800 Fourth Ave., Dixon, IL 815-284-7724 American Heart Association Jump Rope 4 Heart Celebration By: Mr. Thorpe & Mr. Ricks, 4th/5th P.E
On Thursday, February 27th the students at Jefferson celebrated reaching their financial goal by duct taping Mr. Ricks, Mr. Thorpe, and Mr. Sagel to the wall during an all school assembly. Over 120 students raised $4000 dollars for the American Heart Association. This amount more than doubled the previous total from the 2012 school year. The student who received the most donations for Jefferson this year was 5th grader Paige Knipple.
Building a Love for Reading Through Donors Choose
By: Mrs. Scott, 4th grade teacher The students in Mrs. Scott’s Fourth grade were the recipients of a grant funded by Donors Choose. Teachers go online and write proposals for things they would like for the classroom and donors generously donate funds to fund the project. Mrs. Scott’s class project was “Learning to Love Reading.� They asked for books for the classroom. These books were chosen because of high interest and because some were part of a series. Choosing these titles was aimed at getting kids hooked on a series or discovering a good book that you LOVE. Students were thrilled to hear that the project was funded and tracked the package until it arrived at Jefferson School. In all, the class received over $500 in books for the classroom library. To learn more about this great program, go to: www.donorschoose.org. Pictured: Tess Kerley, (4th grade) smiles for the camera with one of the new books that was purchased.
Early Act Heifer Project By: Mrs. Olsen, 4th grade teacher and Early Act Sponsor The Early Act club sponsored a baked sale and game-a-thon for students on Friday, March 28th. Students could bring in $1 each for popcorn, pop, baked goods, pillows, and/or blankets. The funds raised were used to support a worldwide organization called the Heifer Project. This organization gives communities around the world supplies and animals they can use for food and to support their family. Jefferson School raised over $1,200! The Early Act Club decided to use this money to buy a flock of geese, a sheep, a heifer, a goat, two pigs, rabbits, and a community health kit for families in need. Thank you to everyone for your donations!
Choosing to Act Out?
By: Mrs. Reul, 5th Grade Teacher and Meadow Lee, 5th Grade Student Fifth grade student, Meadow Lee has been bit by the acting bug. But, what is she to do when there isn’t a program available at her school to feed her passion? Create one of course! Meadow has created, organized and implemented a drama back row from right to left: Breanna Schulteis, Jackie Iniguez, Sydney club within her fifth Powell, Alivya Knopp, Mazzie Chaffee, Grace Smith, Devin Lorenzen, grade classroom. Each Joey Dukes, Isaac Rollinger, Tristen Smith week she develops middle row from right to left: Nora Harrington, Faith Steder, Elizabeth Burger, Zach Bennett, William Jezek, Will Miller, T.J. Chamberlin a theme and writes front and center: Meadow Lee, Not pictured: Jazlyn Bonnell a script. She writes enough parts for every student that is willing to participate. Every Friday afternoon, the drama club performs a new show for their classmates. The shows are entertaining and creative and even include costumes and props! When I asked Meadow how she came up with the idea for a drama club she said, “I made this club for kids who have dreams of becoming an actor like me.� Meadow also said she would eventually like to expand the club to include more kids. This club created by Meadow has been a wonderful outlet for student creativity and has help build a wonderful classroom community of students working and creating together in a very authentic way!
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LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Second and Third Grade, Dan Rick, Principal 501 S. Lincoln Ave., Dixon, IL 815-284-7726 Ag In The Classroom Phyllis Houck, Third Grade Teacher at Lincoln School, was selected as one of the recipients of the 2014 Lee County Farm Bureau Foundation Books by the Bushel donation. She submitted an application to the organization stating the commitment to educating her third grade students about agriculture. The resources she received as part of the Books by the Bushel will be a great asset to her classroom when teaching about agriculture. Ms. Houck along with other third grade teachers have implemented Ag In The Classroom this spring. They just completed an Earth Day activity, and they are partaking in a Flat Aggie project in which Flat Aggie visits several farms in the statewide area. The farmers send back a letters with information and videos about their farms on which Flat Aggie visited along with photos of Flat Aggie around the farms. Third grade students are learning about dairy cows, pigs, sheep, strawberries, and beef crops. These programs are funded through the Lee County Farm Bureau Foundation.
Lincoln Students Participate in Monarch, Blue Stem Award Programs
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Dixon Public Schools
The suspense is over, the votes are in, and the 2014 Monarch awards have been announced. 272 Lincoln School students participated in the Monarch Program through the school library. Each year twenty books are selected at the state library level for consideration. Students are required to read at least five of those selections and keep track on a list. They vote for their favorites in March and the winners are selected from the student voting. Sixteen Lincoln students also participated in the Bluestem program for higher level books. They are required to read four of the selected books and vote in March as well. The statewide Bluestem winner was “Wonder�. Lincoln School students chose “Nubs� as their favorite. Lincoln School teachers encouraged their students to read the Monarch and Bluestem selections with some reading the books to their classes. Some classes read all 20 selected books in the Monarch Program! Shown holding the winning books are (from left) Maya Wood with first place winner “The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School�, Marcus Simpson with second place winner “Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm� and Kaitlyn Knipple with third place “11 Experiments that Failed�.
Jump Rope for Heart Lincoln School Students participated in Jump Rope for Heart in their Physical Education classes during the week of April 8-14. Students collected pledges to benefit the American Heart Association and participated in the heart healthy activity of jumping rope. This program encourages our students to participate in healthy activities while supporting an important cause. Our students were able to raise $5,051 for their efforts. Thank you to Mr. Scheidegger and Mr. Masters for sponsoring this lifesaving activity.
WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Kindergarten and First Grade, Jeff Gould, Pincipal % -ORGAN 3T $IXON ), s Washington Pride by Mrs. Springman
At Washington School many students are experiencing education for the first time. As they walk through the doors we have a chance to be one of the first positive influences in that child’s education. I say with pride that when we welcome students into kindergarten and see them off by the end of 1st grade we hopefully have instilled a love for school within each student. School pride is a feeling deep down inside each of the Washington staff members. We feel it each morning when we walk through the front doors of our school. It’s pride, it’s caring, it’s treating each other with respect and it holds a very special place in our hearts at Washington! So, even though you can’t define it in one word, you know it when you see it, hear it and feel it. Pride is alive and well at Washington Elementary!!! Life is about finding where your passion meets your purpose. The purpose of Washington School is to create the best educational experience we can for each student. The teachers at Washington School meet this challenge daily. Hopefully Washington holds a special place in your heart as it does with all of us that have pride in this school.
April is Poetry Month April is Poetry Month. Each year for the last nine years Washington School has celebrated poetry day on the last Friday of the month or as close to the actual “Poetry Day�, which is on April 24th. Our Kindergarten and First graders begin listening to, learning about, and practicing poems not just in April but all year long. Many of our students have become poets themselves and have written some very beautiful poems, as you parents have seen. Continued on page 8
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4ELEGRAPH s May 14, 2014
Dixon Public Schools
WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL cont. Poetry cont.
Friday began with our Principal Mr. Gould welcoming the students and reminding the students how important poetry is. He then began reading “Choose Your Sport and I Want to Play�. This was followed by our two delightful special education teachers reading “Sick� by Shel Silverstein. They were dressed in costume, both wearing long white bathrobes with large purple dots all over their faces. The students laughed and pointed at these teachers with delight. Next, our Speech teacher Mrs. Stanley read, “Cinderella and the Prandsom Hince “, a poem in which there was audience participation all through her poem. This kept the students actively involved and smiling. Next we had two reading teachers who were dressed as birds reading “Tall and Short�. It was appropriate since one teacher is five foot and one is six foot tall.
Dr. Seuss Family Fun Night
By. Mrs. Stanley In celebration of Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and “Read Across America�, Washington School again hosted a family fun night on Friday, February 28th. The night consisted of various Dr. Seuss themed games and activities for families to participate in, including foot walk, free book give away, face painting, bingo, fish toss, memory, Oobleck, crafts, and guess the fish. Drawings for hardcover Dr. Seuss books, snacks and prizes were provided throughout the night. Seuss characters were present for families to bring a camera and snap a photo.
In addition to Dr. Seuss Night, special activities were held during the week. Each day had a theme for the students to dress for such as “Fox in Socks Day�, where the students could wear silly socks. Guest readers visited classrooms to read a favorite Dr. Seuss story. The students attended an assembly, participating in chants and songs. The Honorable Judge Jacobson lead the students in the “readers’ oath�. The committee would like to thank the Dixon Public Schools, Mr. Gould, the Dixon Education Association, Books on First, Key Club, Leydig Center, Judge Jacobson, guest readers, and staff members for supporting this activity.
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