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Weekly RIMSD #41 Staff Newsletter April 22, 2015 Superintendent’s Message To prepare high achieving college and career ready global citizens.

Inside:

~ Need to Know ~ Making a Difference! ~ Teaching & Learning ~ Around the District ~ Community Corner

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Board of Education Tuesday, April 28, 6:00 p.m. RIHS Library Dispatch/Argus Master Teacher Banquet Friday, May 1 SPRING MUSICAL The Music Man May 7, 8 & 9 RIHS Auditorium RIHS Academic Achievement Awards Night May 13 RIHS Auditorium Medal of Honor Banquet May 14, 6:00 p.m. Holiday Inn Retirement Tea Wed., June 3, 3:45 p.m. RIHS Library

Send your building information to Communication Director Holly Sparkman at holly. [email protected] for inclusion into each Weekly Edition of the Rock IslandMilan Lines.

T

he days are flying by. Kindergarten Round-Up has concluded for another year. Upon reflection, I realized that today’s kindergarteners will graduate in the year 2028.

Stop and think about how much the world has changed in the last 13 years – when this year’s graduating seniors entered Kindergarten. Since 2001 the emergence of technology such as the Internet, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, social media, and tablets have changed communication patterns, work functions for many, created new jobs, and impacted economic sectors. It’s fascinating to conceptualize what the world will look like when the students of today are tomorrow’s adults. Who knows what types of careers will be available to them 20 years from now? It is inevitable that new career fields emerge. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015-16 Occupational Outlook Handbook, 20 occupations with the highest percent change of employment between 2012-22 include health-care related occupations as well as opportunities in the trade school industries such as mechanical engineers and electricians.Whatever the future holds, I am confident that the Rock Island-Milan School District will be exploring ahead of the curve and be innovative in adapting courses and instructional practices. Historically, Rock Island-Milan has been the first school district in the area to take on many new initiatives: choice school, implement balanced calendars, Career Cruising, set up career pathways, educator evaluation, differentiated instruction, higher order questioning, use of informational text to support positions, etc. As career requirements change, we will adapt. For example, we now have a new course at the high school that will guide the next future entrepreneur. As a school district, our goal is to ensure that all students graduate prepared to be successful in the future. For RIMSD, we recognize that the rapidly changing world means that we must be quick in our ability to change approaches to educational programs and instructional delivery to continually support college and career possibilities for today’s kindergartners. The Rock Island-Milan School District is blessed to have team members on the forefront of innovation so that every student is prepared to be a high achieving college and career ready global citizen.

need to

KNOW School Registration Dates Registration for the 2015-2016 school year has been set for July 22, 23 and 24. Elementary/JR. High:

July 23, 11:00a-7:00p July 24, 9:00a-12:00p

High School: July 22, 11:00a-7:00p July 23, 11:00a-7:00p July 24, 8:00a-1:00p The Rock Island Center for Math & Science will register their students on May 13, 2:30p-6:00p. In order to provide good customer relations, please understand that registration is an on-going process. If parents/guardians are unable to register students during the allotted time listed above, maintain professional courtesy and register the students(s) during normal work hours. Parents/guardians should not be denied registration.

Licensure Renewal Certified staff who are due for licensure renewal, please remember to notify Human Resources once you have completed the registration process! 309-793-5950 x205 or email [email protected]

need to

KNOW

The Music Man

The cast, band and crew of the Rock Island High School production of THE MUSIC MAN invite you to musical on May 7, 8 & 9. - Showtime is 7:00 p.m. and tickets are $7 for Adults; $5 for Students. This year’s production features students from the grade school and jr. high schools as well! Quick synopsis: Con man arrives in River City, Iowa, intending to sell the town and its children on a fake marching band system, and then skip town... until he falls for the local librarian!

Spring Music Events! • May 5 - 6th Grade Band Concert (RIHS Auditorium 6:30 p.m.) Free Admission. • May 7, 8 & 9 - Spring Musical “Music Man,” RIHS Auditorium, 7:00 p.m. Tickets $7 for Adults; $5 for Students • May 11 - Spring Band Concert RIHS Auditorium, 7:00 p.m. Free Admission. • May 12 - Washington Jr. High Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. • May 21 - Spring Choir Pops Concert RIHS Auditorium 7:00 p.m.. Tickets $4 Adults; $2 Seniors and Students.

making a

DIFFERENCE

SHOUTS received April 15 - 22 To: Melissa Miller and Zahra Suss, Frances Willard From: Your Biggest Fan!

On Friday, April 17, there were six guest teachers in the building. Knowing this may cause a little stress around the building, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Suss were very proactive. With a focus on BIST in our building, these ladies opened their classroom doors and provided a “triage” room for any students who needed it. There help was so GREATLY appreciated by the students and the staff. Way to be rockstars ladies!

To: Janetta Harvey, Rock Island Academy From: A fan!

The Rock Island Academy is lucky to have Janetta Harvey as a long term substitute teacher. Ms Janetta has a winning personality, radiant smile and a heart of gold. She is available to help the principal, secretaries, custodian or anybody else in need. It is obvious that she values all students and is dedicated to teaching and giving all students the belief that they can achieve anything.

To: Brian Buckley, Edison Jr. High School From: A fan!

Brian Buckley deserves a huge pat on the back. He is our new custodian an Edison. He has been working so hard making our school clean. He goes above and beyond. I am so impressed with his efforts. If he is asked to fix something, then it is done ASAP. He never has an excuse for why something cannot be done. He has a “Whatever it Takes” attitude. He also spends his own money on supplies. He purchased supplies for me to use in my classroom if he is ever absent (and is unable to clean my room that day). With Brian here, the building smells clean and he is working so hard to make an old building look and feel new again! Thanks so much, Brian! We greatly appreciate you! You are never allowed to leave Edison Jr. High . . . :-)

To: Principal Mike Nitzel, Thomas Jefferson From: Dail Rice

Mike Nitzel is an exceptional leader and building principal. He is very effective because he always is willing to teach his staff, students, and parents in a respectful manner. Mike always uses his educational experiences and research to encourage listeners to become better students and educators. Mike shares information on an ongoing basis about what is happening throughout the school and in the field of education in an unselfish manner! He is passionate about building and maintaining relationships with staff, students and parents. Mike is thoughtful and caring and I am honored to work with him!

Shout Out!

Recognize your peers loud and clear! Instructions: 1. Notice a co-worker’s outstanding performance; 2. Write a note about it; 3. Get the building Principal/Administrator’s initials; 4. Post in on the Making a Difference noteboard in your building; 5. Fill out Shout Out form on staff web site to enter in the Difference Maker of the Quarter!

www.rockislandschools.org/riec

Teaching & Learning Teacher Leader Cadre The Teacher Leader Cadre (TLC) was created as a way to better connect with the teachers of Illinois and provide them with resources and updates on Illinois assessments and the new learning standards. The goal is to create a network of professionals to share information and connect in hopes of bettering education in the state of Illinois.

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If you are interested in joining the TLC, send an email with the subject line “TLC” to [email protected]. You’ll be added to the listserv.

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The Teacher Resources web page has links to resources, Webinars, Presentations, Videos and a Listserve archive that covers many topics: http://www.isbe.net/assessment/htmls/teacher-resources.htm

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FINAL Rock Island College for 2014-15 Visual Learning: Enhancing and Differentiating Lessons for Learners 4-5 p.m. on May 7th at Rock Island Center for Math and Science If you are looking for more ways to help your students better understand concepts and vocabulary in your lessons, we would like to invite you to attend this workshop on visual learning. You are encouraged to bring a laptop or iPad and a lesson, as well as a unit or book study that you would like to enhance to differentiate for your students. The first part of the workshop will show you a variety of free resources you can access that will help struggling students gain a stronger understanding of the content that you are teaching. The final part of the workshop will give you time to collaborate in small groups where coaches will help guide you to incorporate and implement some of the ideas and strategies you have learned. Actual Hours for recertification will be provided. Come learn with your colleagues and have a chance to win prizes! Sign up at the following link: http://www.instant.ly/s/A15EM

around the

DISTRICT

Rotary Club Honors Students! The Rotary Club of Rock Island announced the selection of the “best of the best” for 2015 in the areas of academics in Rock Island. Honorees from Augustana College, Alleman High School and Rock Island High School were introduced and presented a plaque at a special Rotary Awards Luncheon held on Tuesday, April 14th at the Quad City Botanical Center. Rock Island High School students Kayli Ahuja and Grant Fessler were presented with awards. Ahuja not only excelled in the classroom, but is also an outstanding musician earning All State recognition from the Illinois Music Educators Association for her excellence in playing the viola. She has been awarded a music scholarship and will continue her studies at Augustana College in the fall. Grant Fessler, an Illinois State Scholar and a Charles O. Austin Scholar, has been active in Environmental Science and was a member of the champion team at the 2014 Envirothon a competition hosted by Land Use Council. Fessler plans will attend Iowa State University in the fall to study Environmental Science. Above: Rock Island Rotary President Mike Locander with Grant Fessler Below: Rock Island Rotary President Mike Locander with Kayli Ahuja

Mustache Storytime at RIA

“If you ‘mustache’....we love to read in Mrs. Padilla’s 4th Grade class!” If you ask Krystle Padilla what mustaches and reading have in common, she will say that they “are both fun!” Just like mustaches take time to grow, reading takes time to grow on people as well. The mustaches were part of a Scholastic Reading Club package.

around the

DISTRICT Future Leaders of Washington and Rocky

Dr. Terry Taylor and J.D. Wilson with the Future Leaders group of WJHS and RIHS.

The Future Leaders group from Washington Jr. High and Rock Island High School traveled to the University of Iowa on April 14 to visit the school and learn about college life. The students started the day off with a campus tour of the University of Iowa and then met with an advisor and received some valuable information about the campus and student life. During the visit, Rock Island students were able to meet with U of I students who explained their experience at the university. They also talked about making good friends, joining groups/clubs, and duel credits. Lunch was served in one of the dorm’s cafeteria. “It was a fun trip!” said Dr. Terry Taylor. RIHS Dean J.D. Wilson also attended the trip with the students.

RICMS Leadership Day Celebration Students and teachers at the Rock Island Center for Math and Science celebrated their second annual Leadership Day on Thursday, April 16. The school invited community members to learn how the Leader in Me program has transformed the school. Each grade wore a different color shirt, and student guides led the community members through different classrooms to see how the Leader In Me works in the school, in the classroom and the student’s daily lives. “The 7 Habits help me make decisions that are not only good for me but for everybody else,” said a student in Mrs. Moskowitz’s class. The morning’s events culminated in the gymnasium where the students gathered to sing “We are the World.”

Community Corner STROLL THROUGH SPRINGTIME APRIL 25

The annual Stroll Through Springtime will take place at Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island on Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 7:00 am until 11:00 am. All events are free, and participants can come for any or all of the events. Birds will be the focus of groups going in the field at 7:00 am. At 9:00 am people will move into the Lodge for refreshments and a short program about invasive plants. At 10:00 am in small groups, participants will observe and identify wildflowers. No advance registration needed. For more information, call (309) 788-9536.

ROCK ISLAND COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE APRIL 25

Saturday, April 25, come to Longview Park for the Spring Community Garage Sale. Shop over 6,000 square feet of toys, trinkets, furniture, home décor, books, clothes, antiques and much more from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Becoming the Dream On Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. The Marshall Learning Center will present “Becoming the Dream,” a Readers Theatre. Students and adults will perform reflections of African American slaves and their dreams of freedom and encounters from the Tuskegee Airmen and their dreams of flight. The performance concludes with readers dreams of the future and poetic reflections. The event represents the culmination of a three year diversity project, The Dream: 50 Years and Beyond in addition to the school’s commitment to the Empoering Potential Reading Initiative. Before the performance, guests are invited to sample appetizers made by students in the Kitchen Express program.

RICMS Kids on a Mission Collecting for Closet 2 Closet Rock Island Center for Math & Science Kids on a Mission will be collecting items for “Closet 2 Closet” and they need your help! April 20 through Fri April 24, 2015 the school is collecting the following items: • Monday: Socks • Tuesday: Underwear • Wednesday: Winter wear; hats, gloves, scarves etc • Thursday: Personal care items: deodorant, chapstick, shower gel, lotion, toothbrushes/paste, hair care products • Friday: Bags/luggage/purses/backpacks ALL ITEMS MUST BE NEW and/or Gently Used, in decent condition. Their goal is to collect 150 items daily! Closet 2 Closet provides a safe place for children and youth in foster care to shop for items they need. They provide gently used, stylish clothes among other personal items that kids in foster care often need! Rock Island Center for Math & Science 2101 16th Avenue, Rock Island 309-793-5995

8th Annual Early Learning Readiness Fair

Date: April 29, 2015 Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm Stop by anytime!

Location of Fair:

Quad City Botanical Center 2525 Fourth Avenue Rock Island, IL

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Learning Begins at Birth!

Children’s experiences in the first three years of life influence how they develop, learn, and interact with their world. This period is marked by an extraordinary amount of growth, and sets the foundation for children’s future learning and ongoing development. (ISBE 2013) Families and their child(ren) ages Birth to 5 years and those who will be entering Kindergarten during the 2015-2016 school year throughout Rock Island County may attend. This Fair will offer a variety of resources from community agencies, school districts, and child care centers. Representatives will be available to answer questions and assist families. Resources may include: Free vision and hearing screenings for children ages 0-35 months  Tour a school bus  

Local organizations that are focused on providing family services

Visit the

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Area school districts to answer questions (based on availability)

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Age appropriate activities and summer learning ideas

Gardens

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Door Prizes

AND SO MUCH MORE…. QUESTIONS? CONTACT the Early Childhood Department at the Rock Island County Regional

Office of Education 309-736-1111

Early Learning Readiness Fair Sponsored by: