IOWA-GRANT'S PANTHER PRESS

PRESIDENT: Ross Leix

VICE PRESIDENT: Mary Schauff

CLERK: Travis Wetter

TREASURER: Katrina Rickard

BOARD MEMBER: Tim Lundell

BOARD MEMBER: Tony Ritchie

BOARD MEMBER: Jeff Speth

Wisconsin School Board Week Set for Oct. 1-7 The Wisconsin Association of School Boards has designated Oct. 1-7 as Wisconsin School Board Week as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our communities. The Iowa-Grant School District is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate Wisconsin School Board Week to honor local board members for their commitment to the Iowa-Grant school community and its children. It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level. They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect. The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:

• Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;

• Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do; •Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;

• Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results;

• Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach;

• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and

• Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement. School board members give citizens a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in October, their contribution is a year-round commitment.

October 26, 2023

5:00 - 7:40 PM

IGHS Cafetorium

5:00 - 5:55 PM Meal (serving line closes at 5:40)

5:55 - 6:00 PM Transition (children move to activities; adults regroup for

presentation & discussion.)

6:00 - 6:15 PM Tour boys locker rooms and weight room

6:15 - 7:15 PM Small group discussions

7:15 - 7:40 PM Reports from table recorders

Who: First 100 people to RSVP. Invited participants include Iowa-Grant families and community members. If demand substantially exceeds capacity, we will consider scheduling more forums.

What: A community information and discussion forum about our school district’s future , including finances, enrollment, computer equipment, co-curricular programs and facilities.

Participants are invited for a free meal and an evening of civic engagement to discuss the preferred future of the Iowa-Grant School District. Bring your family! After eating together, children will have activities supervised by members of the Iowa-Grant FFA. Adults will tour our locker rooms and get a brief state-of-the district report. Then we will engage in small group discussions. Volunteer table reporters will summarize the discussion and share out with the whole group before the evening’s end. The board will use this information to guide its leadership in strengthening our school district.

Why: We are consulting with stakeholders as we evaluate district finances, enrollments, facilities, and co-curricular programs as we consider scheduling a referendum.

We hope to see you there! RSVP is now open, you can RSVP by clicking on the form below.

10/2 FFA Fall Leadership Workshop

10/2 Senior Portraits and Senior Parent Messages Due

10/2 5:00 PM Volleyball: Freshmen Quad vs Multiple Schools @ Riverdale HS

10/3 World Dairy Expo - FFA Field Trip and Judging Day

10/3 5:45 PM Volleyball: Freshmen / JV vs Fennimore (Home)

10/3 7:15 PM Volleyball: Varsity vs Fennimore (Home)

10/5 8:00 AM Picture Retake Day

10/5 5:45 PM Volleyball: Freshmen / JV vs Southwestern (Home)

10/5 7:15 PM Volleyball: Varsity vs Southwestern (Home)

10/6 1:00 PM Mock Accident

10/7 8:00AM - 4:00 PM Volleyball: JV Tournament vs Multiple Schools @ Barneveld HS

10/7 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Cross Country: Varsity Invitational vs Multiple Schools @ Baertschi Farm

10/7 1:30 PM Football: Varsity vs Ithaca (Away)

10/9 5:00 PM Football: JV vs Ithaca (Home)

10/9 6:30 PM Board Meeting

10/9 5:00 PM Volleyball: Freshmen vs Multiple Schools (Home)

10/10 5:45 PM Volleyball: Freshmen / JV vs Cuba City (Home)

10/10 7:15 PM Volleyball: Varsity vs Cuba City (Home)

10/12 4:00 PM Cross Country: Varsity Conference Meet vs Multiple Schools (Home)

10/13 7:00 PM Football: Varsity vs Brookwood (Home)

10/16 6:00 PM Music Parents' Meeting

10/17 Volleyball: Varsity Regional vs TBA (Away)

10/19 Volleyball: Varsity Regional vs TBA (Away)

10/20 Football: Varsity Playoff Level 1 vs TBD (Away)

10/21 Cross Country: Varsity Sectionals vs TBA (Away)

10/21 Volleyball: Varsity Regional vs TBA (Away)

10/23 7:30 PM Annual Budget Meeting

10/23 8:00 PM Annual Meeting

10/24 7:00 PM MS/HS Choir Concert

10/25 6:00 PM Booster Club Meeting

10/26 Volleyball: Varsity Sectional vs TBA (Away)

10/26 5:00 PM Family & Community Town Supper @ IGHS Cafetorium

10/27 Football: Varsity Playoffs Level 2 vs TBD (Away)

10/28 Cross Country: Varsity State Tournament vs TBA (Away)

10/28 Volleyball: Girls Varsity Sectionals vs TBA (Away)

10/31 National FFA Convention @ Indianapolis, IN

Freshmen Representatives- Landon C. & Presley L.

Sophomore Representatives - Trenton P. & Laina M.

Junior Representatives - Blake D. & Natalie S.

Senior Representatives - Harrison W. & Amiah F.

2023 Homecoming King and Queen - Nikolei F. & Angelina P.

L-R Elyse L., Rylee S., Rachel R., Lillian W., and Meagan C.

Thank you to Mrs. Rosemeyer and the 2023 Homecoming Committee for planning a fun filled Homecoming week!

Next informational meeting about an educational tour!

We (Ms. Golackson and Ms. Loeffelholz) are excited to announce that we will be leading a group of students on a once‐in‐a‐lifetime educational tour to Barcelona, France & Italy in summer 2025. This trip offers a wealth of opportunities for learning outside the classroom and for personal growth, and this will be a fun, safe, and easy way for students to see the world with their friends. I hope you can join us!

We will be hosting a parent meeting so you can learn more about our tour itinerary, the sign-up process, and payment options:

Date: Monday, October 30th
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: IOWA-GRANT HIGH SCHOOL, ROOM E5

If you would like a sneak peak of the itinerary before the meeting, please visit our trip website www.explorica.com/Golackson-4135 and click “I’m interested” to share your information with us. We’ll keep you updated about this incredible trip, including parent meeting details and deadline reminders, so you won’t miss a thing. We already have 12 participants signed up for the trip and excited to add more. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Contact Info: cgolackson@igs.k12.wi.us

Website: www.explorica.com/Golackson-4135

The Iowa-Grant FFA Dairy and Livestock team attended the River Ridge Dairy and Livestock Contest on September 14. The Dairy Judging Team consisted of Ella, June, Elyse, Lillian, and Georgia. They placed 4th as a team out of 26 teams. Elyse was the top scorer on the team placing 3rd individually! The Livestock team consisted of Jonah, Bode, Baylee, Kaycee, and Natalie. Natalie was the top scorer on the team placing 22nd individually. Congratulations to all!

On September 28, seniors traveled to Spring Green to the American Players Theatre. This trip, an annual tradition, included a picnic lunch together and the Shakespearean play, The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The juniors (Class of 2025) will be selling delicious butter braids, starting at the end of October. This now annual fundraiser is the primary source of money for their upcoming spring prom. Please support the juniors to raise funds, while giving yourself or your family a treat at the same time! What better way to impress family members when you need a warm, delicious breakfast treat...especially around the holidays!! Stay tuned for more ordering information on our website and Facebook pages.

It is hard to believe we have finished our first month of school. There have been many great things that have happened this month. We have started to settle into routines and schedules again. We are still working through some bumpiness with our new lunch schedule but every day is getting better. The middle school cross-country and volleyball teams have participated in volleyball games and cross-country meets. Our first music concert will be on October 24th. I am so grateful to the staff, students, and parents for their commitment to all of the great things in and outside of the classroom.

Please remind your child about appropriate behaviors on the buses. We have had some staffing changes on the buses and there has been some feedback of misbehavior. We will be addressing individual behaviors if reported. Thank you for your help and support of our bus drivers.

October 2nd is Thank a Custodian Day. Thank you to Mike Oium, Gary Allen, Todd Prohaska, Dave Christianson, and Troy Henkel for all of the work they do to keep IGEMS going strong. October 8th - 13th is School Lunch Week. Thank you to Barb Hugill, Becky Allen, Lisa Henkel, and Laurie Wienkes for everything they do to keep us fed at IGEMS.

The carpet installation in the hallways is almost complete and the new scoreboards are up and running in the gym. Thank you to Clare Bank, Community First Bank, Compeer Financial, and Royal Bank for their sponsorship of the scoreboard project.

We look forward to a wonderful month.

We all know the importance of shared reading experiences at home and the benefits our children receive from reading and talking about books with their adults, but what about math? Children benefit from shared math experiences at home too. Here are some quick, simple ways to engage your child and support math skills at the same time, which can be played with items you most likely already have at home. These are appropriate for most first grade students and could be used with younger students looking for a bit of a challenge. Have fun!

• Keep Counting: as you roll or throw a ball back and forth, keep count of how high you can count before someone misses. Extension: try counting by 10s or 5s.

• Shape Spotting: Play “I Spy” with shapes. For example, “I spy a square.” (window). Other ideas: rectangle (door) triangle (roof) circle (wheel) and octagon (stop sign).

• Measure It: Measure things with items from around the house. Use paper clips or crayons lined up end-to-end to measure a piece of paper, a shoe, or other items in your home.

• Fun With Fractions: In the tub or sink, let your child experiment with measuring cups. Get them thinking with questions like, “How many ½ cups make 1 cup?”

• Pattern Play: Drum a pattern using a plastic container and a spoon. Try “loud, loud, soft, loud,” or “slow, slow, fast, fast.” Take turns drumming and repeating the patterns back to each other.

• Math RIddles: Play “less than/greater than.” Pick a number between 1 and 100 and as your child guesses what the number is, tell them if their guess is greater or less than that number until they figure it out.

• Hide & Seek with Position Words: Take turns hiding an item and giving clues using position words. For example, “I hid the ball ABOVE the ground, BEHIND a rock, NEXT TO a tree.” Can your child find it? Extension: use the words, LEFT OF and RIGHT OF for locating the object.

• Toss the Dice: Using 2 dice, each player takes turns rolling both dice at once. Add the numbers together. Whoever has the highest number gets 1 point. Play until someone gets 5 points. Extension: subtract the smaller number from the larger number and try to get the lowest number for a point.

• Number Hunt: Go on an even/odd number hunt. Look around your house for numbers, or do this as you are traveling in your car. As they spot and say a number, ask your child if it is even or an odd number.

These fun and simple ways to build math skills were provided by our partners at Ready4K.com.

I hope you enjoy playing some of them at home with your child!

• Visitors in classrooms - Individual classrooms may request occasional guest readers, classroom helpers, or other visitors based on classroom needs and events. However, classroom visits should be arranged ahead of time and visitors must sign in at the office as usual.

• Parents having lunch with students is a great way to connect with your child. The 4K and K classroom may send home opportunities or recommend lunch with parents as a birthday treat, We ask that any parent visitor that wishes to have lunch with their child in grades 1-8 schedule ahead of time with the principal. In grades 4K and Kindergarten, we ask parents to work this out with the child's teacher as the classroom teachers stay in the lunch room with the students for these grades.

• Parent visitors (parents that are not picking up their child or coming into school on school business) are always welcome to stop in the office to ask questions or make appointments with teachers and the principal.

• All student visitors must be approved by a building principal at least one day in advance. In addition a visitor approval form must completed.

8th grade students learn how structures react to forces by designing, testing and improving STEM bridges that hold 25+ pounds!