IOWA-GRANT'S PANTHER PRESS

New Year's Resolutions

Almost all of us take on the new year by making a few resolutions. Gym memberships soar to annual highs during the first week of January and within a few weeks, we return to our old routines. For the academic year, January actually contains our halfway point as the first semester comes to a close. As report cards come out,I hope we can take a moment to highlight our successes on the school report card and to resolve to achieve the goals of our mission.

In partnership with the community, the Iowa-Grant School District will empower all students to reach their full potential as responsible individuals who strive for life-long learning to successfully compete in an ever-changing global society.

In the hustle and bustle of the first semester, we didn’t receive much press coverage about our students’ performance on the state assessments. Our students’ performance was among the highest of any area schools and once again IGEMS was ranked as a Five Star School. For IGEMS, our students ranked 1st out of all the schools in the SWAL Conference, 4th out of 54 Elementary/Middle Schools in CESA 3, 4th out of 85 ranked schools in CESA 3, 4th of only 6 schools that Significantly Exceed Expectations in CESA 3, and 179 out of 2,215 of rated schools in the state. Our high school report card showed continued improvement as well.

The high school is 1,619 out of 2,215 of ranked schools in the state. Congratulations students, teachers, and families!

As we consider holding our aspirations high, I hope we can hold gratitude for what we have as a starting point. Then let’s do our resolutions and do our best to outlast our gym memberships.

Michael Shimshak

1/01 NO SCHOOL

1/04 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Riverdale (Home)

1/04 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Riverdale (Home)

1/04 7:00 PM Alumni Pep Band

1/05 9:00 AM SWAL Honors Rehearsal @ Riverdale

1/05 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Cuba City (Home)

1/05 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Cuba City (Home)

1/06 9:30 AM Wrestling: Varsity Reserve vs Multiple Schools @ Kickapoo HS

1/06 10:00 AM Gymnastics: Varsity Invitational vs Multiple Schools @ Mount Horeb HS

1/06 4:30 PM SWAL Concert @ Riverdale

1/08 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Benton (Home)

1/08 6:00 PM Gymnastics: Varsity Meet vs Prairie du Chien @ Prairie du Chien HS

1/08 6:30 PM Board Meeting

1/08 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Benton (Home)

1/09 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Cassville (Home)

1/09 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Fennimore (Away)

1/09 7:00 PM PM Boys Basketball Pep Band

1/09 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Cassville (Home)

1/09 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Fennimore (Away)

1/11 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Fennimore (Away)

1/11 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Fennimore (Away)

1/12 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Boscobel (Home)

1/12 7:00 PM Girls Basketball Pep Band

1/12 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Boscobel (Home)

1/13 FFA - Half - Time Conference @ Stevens Point

1/13 9:30 AM Wrestling: Varsity Invitational vs Multiple Schools @ DeForest HS

1/15 6:00 PM Gymnastics: Varsity Meet vs Multiple Schools @ Dodgeville HS

1/15 6:00 PM Music Parents' Meeting

1/15 7:15 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs DeSoto (Away)

1/16 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Mineral Point (Home)

1/16 7:00 PM Boys Basketball Pep Band

1/16 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Mineral Point (Home)

1/18 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Mineral Point (Away)

1/18 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Mineral Point (Away)

1/19 NO SCHOOL

1/19 Boys Basketball Parents' Night

1/19 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Riverdale (Home)

1/19 6:00 PM Wrestling: Boys JV/Varsity Match vs Multiple Schools @ Fennimore HS

1/19 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Riverdale (Home)

1/20 9:00 AM Wrestling: Varsity Tournament vs Multiple Schools @ Fort Atkinson

1/20 1:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Wauzeka-Steuben (Away)

1/20 2:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Wauzeka-Steuben (Away)

1/22 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Weston (Home)

1/22 6:00 PM Gymnastics: Varsity Meet vs River Valley @ Dodgeville HS

1/22 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Weston (Home)

1/23 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Shullsburg (Away)

1/23 Girl's Basketball Parents' Night

1/23 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Southwestern (Home)

1/23 7:00 PM Girls Basketball Pep Band

1/23 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Shullsburg (Away)

1/23 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Southwestern (Home)

1/25 9:00 AM SWAL Honors Choir Rehearsal @ Mineral Point

1/25 6:00 PM Basketball: Boys JV vs Southwestern (Home)

1/25 7:30 PM Basketball: Boys Varsity vs Southwestern (Home)

1/26 6:00 PM Basketball: Girls JV vs Cuba City (Away)

1/26 Wrestling Parents' Night and Senior's Night

1/26 6:30 PM Wrestling: JV Match vs Mineral Point (Home)

1/26 7:00 PM Wrestling: Varsity Match vs Mineral Point (Home)

1/26 7:30 PM Basketball: Girls Varsity vs Cuba City (Away)

1/27 9:30 AM Wrestling: JV Tournament vs Multiple Schools @ River Ridge

1/27 10:00 AM Gymnastics: Varsity Invitational vs Multiple Schools @ Dodgeville HS

1/27 4:30 PM SWAL Choir Concert @ Mineral Point

1/29 6:00 PM Gymnastics: Varsity Meet vs Multiple Schools @ Southwestern HS/MS

Congratulations to Cyle on scoring 1000 points at River Ridge on December 27th. Panther Proud!

The IGH Wrestling Team placed 3rd out of 72 teams! Congratulations! Individual final results were:

132 Hunter S. placed 3rd

138 Elliott B. is the CHAMP!! He also accomplished his 100th win at Bi-State. Congratulations!

144 Brock H. placed 4th

150 Ty I. placed 2nd

157 Jaxon B. placed 2nd

165 Emmerson M. placed 9th

Congratulations to the IGH Team and to the Coaches!!!

The IGHS Student Council made a trip to Milwaukee for the annual Leadership Day with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, December 13th. 14 high school students, along with Mr. Boland and Mrs. Cullen, heard speakers from the Bucks organization, leadership presentations and workshops at MATC, ate dinner in the Deer District, and saw an awesome Milwaukee Bucks game!! It was great day!

The IGHS Holiday Concert under the direction of Mrs. Gile and Mr. Zwick featured some holiday classics such as All I Want for Christmas played by the Jazz Band and Deck the Halls played by our Guitar Exploration students. Concert Choir students sang Christmas Canon and finished the night with the Community coming together to sing "Hallelujah".

An incredible start to the season for the Dodgeville CO-OP Gymnastics Team. The team consists of Dodgeville, Mineral Point, Iowa-Grant, and Highland gymnasts. At their December 19th meet, the JV team broke the school record for highest team score or 114.65. The varsity team earned a final score of 133.6 earning first place. Their next meet will be Saturday, January 6th.

The Iowa-Grant Booster Club made a generous donation to the Iowa-Grant Girls and Boys Basketball teams for the purchase of new basketballs. They also donated to the IGH Wrestling team for the purchase of new singlets. Thank you Iowa-Grant Booster Club!

Welcome 2024, and welcome back, students and staff! We are about to finish the first semester already. There will be no school on January 19th for teachers to participate in professional development and finish grading. On January 18th, students will have the 2nd quarter pep rally to wrap up the first semester.

Middle school girls' basketball and wrestling will be off and running this month. Honors band students will perform at Riverdale on January 6th. The annual spelling bee will be on January 9th at 2:00 p.m. Students in the elementary and middle school will complete their mid-year NWEA maps testing as we prepare for our Forward Exam this spring.

Volunteers using IGEMS: Please remember to lock and check all outside doors before leaving the premises, especially on weekends and when building staff is not present.

I wish you a fantastic start to 2024!

Child Development Day & Full-Day 4K FAQs

On February 16th, we will be hosting Child Development Day, informational sessions for parents and preschool screening sessions for students eligible to attend 4K next school year (2024-2025). Below you will find some frequently asked questions and answers about Child Development Day and our full-day four-year-old kindergarten program:

• Who should attend Child Development Day on February 16th? Anyone who lives in the Iowa-Grant School District who has a child turning 4 on or before September 1, 2024 should plan to attend.

• How long will the screening last? One hour.

• Do I need to register now or can we show up at the door? Please call our school office and speak with Mrs. Kennicker by January 31st. The sooner you call, the more likely your preferred time slot will be available.

• What if I’m not sure my child is ready for 4K? This event is designed to assess preschool readiness skills and to answer your questions about your child’s development and our school’s programming, so you can make an informed decision regarding your child’s educational needs.

• What if I have concerns about my child’s speech & language development? Please let the school know of any concerns you have when calling to set up your screening appointment. We will have a Speech Language Pathologist available for this purpose.

• Who are the 4K teachers? Mrs. Tricia Sander and Mrs. Kristen Nelson bring many years of teaching experience to our 4K program. Our teaching assistants and Mrs. Darcy Breuer (Early Childhood) are also vital to our program’s success.

• What if my child is not yet toilet trained? We expect all 4K students to be fully toilet trained (wearing underwear, not pull-ups) when entering our program in September.

• Is transportation provided for 4K students? Yes, 4-year-old students are eligible to ride the bus to and from school. They follow the same school hours and calendar as our other elementary students.

• What if my child still takes a nap each day? Rest time is included in the daily program schedule, and many children sleep during this rest time.

• Do I need to pack a lunch for my child? Students are able to eat a cold lunch provided by their home or they may purchase a hot lunch prepared by our food service staff. Milk for snack time can also be purchased at school.

• Do the kids play outside? Yes, both outdoor and indoor play are important components in their school day. We have a beautiful outdoor play area for our students!

Please call today to reserve your appointment slot and bring your child and any additional questions with you on February 16th!

Middle School Forensics Event

Tuesday, January 30th

4:15-7:30 pm

Room 100

An opportunity for students participating in Middle School Forensics to present their pieces to family and friends!

There was a mix up at The North Pole. Packages of letters for the IGEMS Kindergarten and 1st grade students were delivered to the 8th grade classrooms. The 8th grade students decided to personally deliver and read the letters to the Kindergarten and 1st grade students.

The Panther Packs Program would like to thank the 4K Superstars for their donation of food items to the program. The class donated over 85 items to help students in our school have healthy foods to eat on the weekends! Thank you for your generosity Superstars!