DC Administration Report

Dane Campbell was top 2% of 3rd graders in the state of Iowa in ISASP math scores last year.

Two students who were selected to the ICN Broadband Council.

Three students created the teacher walk up song video.

School Culture

As an administrative team, we are working collaboratively to establish clear goals using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).

Our first step has been to commit to meeting every Thursday with a consistent agenda to ensure focus and alignment. These meetings allow us to flesh out priorities and maintain strong communication. In addition, we will hold bi-weekly meetings with all district directors and leaders to provide updates and coordinate on facilities, custodial needs, nutrition, technology, transportation, safety, and financial matters.

Student Achievement

We are in the process of deepening our understanding of student data. This includes identifying the data we want to focus on, learning how to analyze and utilize it effectively, and determining how best to share progress with students, parents, staff, and the community.

This work is still in progress, and we look forward to sharing more as our plans develop and take shape.

School Celebrations -

110 students are enrolled in 230 Indian Hills classes.

Some newer classes, such as DC Reels, have strong enrollment.

Going from three down to two lunch shifts has been great for students talking to each other and making 5th hour classes more academically focused.

School Culture -

The cell phone ban has been going really well. Students are more focused on their academics.

When I walk the halls there are less students out and about as we are pushing being in class more.

Student Achievement -

Our D/F list will start coming out weekly, but with the cell phone ban students kids are getting their work done and turned in.

We are getting back to regular PLT(Professional Learning Teams) Meetings

School Celebrations -

- Mrs. Van Winkle's student council leadership team conducted their 1st Middle School day of service. Students worked with teachers around the building to help in classrooms, pick up trash outside, designed positive notes to be placed on lockers, along with other positive acts of service as they begin the year leading the Middle School Student Council.

School Culture -

- Student Council and Spirit Club are working on finalizing plans for homecoming.

- We are excited to have Danielle Thies conduct walkthroughs of our building next month to see the positive changes that have occurred in classrooms across the building.

Student Achievement -

- New 5th and 6th grade ELA curriculum is off to a great start. Teachers have been collaborating and are digging into all of their resources to provide great instruction.

- We continue to push the use of the rooms app to communicate with parents and have had some great feedback and communication with parents.

Student Celebrations -

A great start to the school year! Students have adjusted well back into the classrooms and it is fun to hear the buzz throughout the buildings.

School Culture -

I have highlighted before, but we really enjoy having our community partners celebrate a great week of learning by participating in High Five Friday! This year, in addition to community partners, the high school is going to send down groups. Our students love it and it is great to see the smiles and laughs as they come into the building.

Student Achievement -

We have completed our Fall assessments. We use this data to help adjust instruction to each learner in the building. This includes differentiation in the classroom like reading groups and extra math support or looking at providing academic intervention. It is a big undertaking to get these assessments completed and we are thankful for the group of former teachers who come in every year to help us complete these assessments. This data not only helps us with instruction, but we use it to track growth across the year. We do these assessments again in January and at the end of the year.

Our new literacy curriculum roll out has been successful. We are obviously still early in the process. The curriculum starts on day 1 (so the first day of school) and the first 20 days of the curriculum is all about establishing the routines and expectations for all the literacy content areas covered by this curriculum (reading, writing, phonics). I have been incredibly proud of our staff's work, attitude, commitment, and fidelity in this roll out. Implementing new curriculum is not easy, but they are doing an amazing job!

Other (Building Goals) -

Elementary has two building goals this year.

1. 90% of K–4 teachers will meet all “Developing” or “Robust” indicators on the Benchmark Advance Implementation Look-Fors Rubric, based on walkthrough observations conducted by the principal, instructional coaches, curriculum director, and AEA literacy representative.

2. 90% of PK-4 teachers will be classified in the Progressing in Implementation or Met Implementation categories of the Teach to Heal Implementation Walkthrough ratings conducted by Danielle Theis and the Teach to Heal Implementation Team.

Highlights

Our new K–6 ELA curriculum has officially arrived — all seven pallets’ worth! 😲
We’ve already completed our first training sessions and jumped right into implementation. While there’s always a learning curve with a new program, our teachers have embraced the challenge. We’re eager to see the positive impact this will have on our young readers!

Culture
We’re excited to welcome several outstanding new staff members to the Mustang team this year. They bring a wealth of experience and dedication, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have them on board!

Student Achievement
Our longitudinal ISASP data has been updated with finalized Spring 2025 results. When reviewing the chart, remember that following a diagonal line tracks the same cohort over time. To make this easier, I’ve added color coding for clarity. I love digging into data, so if you’d like to chat more about these results, I’d be happy to connect!

Other Updates

Our K–5 teachers are in the second year of their two-year LETRS commitment, and our middle school teachers are wrapping up year two of their Aspire learning. This fall, our PK team also jumped into LETRS training. All of these initiatives are grounded in the Science of Reading, and by the end of this school year, every ELA teacher, special education teacher, and interventionist from PK–8 will be trained! 🎉 This is a huge step forward in supporting literacy for all students.

Activities and Athletics:

Student Support Services:

Facilities

Transportation

Food Services

IT

Other