CS Elementary Fall Newsletter
September 2025
Message from Mrs. Brunsvold:
We are officially one quarter of the way through the school year! It's crazy how fast time goes! We are now full swing into academics and our daily routines. Students have completed fall testing, and we are working to ensure that they have the necessary supports to be successful in both math and literacy.
Last week, students should have brought home their fall testing results. These tests in math and literacy indicate where students are with their skills relative to our math and literacy standards. Students who are considered persistently at-risk will have a plan put in place to support their specific needs in math, literacy, or both.
In the table below, you will find our fall results. The numbers in parentheses are the scores earned in the fall of 2024. These scores are just one measure that we use to show student progress. Ultimately, our goal is that 80% of our students are proficient on these assessments. As a school, we use this data to target not only the work that we are doing with our students, but also during professional development with our teachers. Our teachers have begun year two of their learning around the Science of Reading, and it will have an impact on the way we provide literacy instruction.
Parents can also play a powerful role in supporting their child's literacy and math development at home. Here are practical strategies for both areas:
Supporting Literacy at Home
Read Daily
Set aside time each day to read together.
Let your child choose books that interest them.
Read aloud to build vocabulary and comprehension.
Ask Questions While Reading
Discuss the story: "What do you think will happen next?"
Talk about characters, setting, and problems/solutions.
Create a Literacy-Rich Environment
Keep books, magazines, and writing materials accessible.
Label objects around the house to reinforce word recognition.
Encourage Writing
Have your child write notes, stories, or shopping lists.
Provide journals or notebooks for free writing.
Model Reading and Writing
Let your child see you reading books, articles, or instructions.
Write notes, cards, or lists in front of them.
Supporting Math at Home
Make Math Part of Daily Life
Involve your child in cooking (measuring ingredients).
Let them help with budgeting, grocery shopping, or telling time.
Use Math Talk
Use words like “more than,” “less than,” “equal to,” and “estimate.”
Ask questions like, “How many more do we need?” or “What’s half of that?”
Practice Basic Facts
Use flashcards, apps, or games to reinforce addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Play Math Games
Board games, card games, or online games that use numbers and logic can be both fun and educational.
Encourage Problem-Solving
Pose real-life problems: “If we leave at 3:30 and it takes 20 minutes to get there, what time will we arrive?”
Other things to remember:
Keep a positive attitude — avoid saying “I was never good at math” or “I don’t like reading.”
Be patient — allow children to think and explore without rushing them.
Celebrate effort, not just correctness — praise persistence and curiosity.
If you have questions or concerns about how to best support your student, please reach out to your child's teacher. Thank you for your ongoing support of your child's education.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Brunsvold
Nora Springs 1st grade
3rd Grade
Little Panther Cheerleaders
Nora Springs Kindergarten
Making applesauce.
Healthiest State Walk
Ag in the Classroom
Manly campus had Ag in Classroom at the end of September. Here you see them learning how to make butter!
1st Place in poster contest
3rd grade- Hank Lafler
2nd grade- Dove Dirksen
1st grade- Audrey Heimer
Kindergarten- Kiersten Stockdale
2nd Place in poster contest
3rd Grade- Avelynn Volbrecht
2nd Grade- Ava Muncy
1st Grade- Emery Behne
Kindergarten- Payton Thompson
3rd Place in poster contest
3rd Grade- Timothy Hart
2nd Grade- Olin Mann
1st Grade- Bentley Tucker
Kindergarten- Gage Williams
Joelle Davison- Student Referee
Annual Football Relay!
Parade!
The district was unable to fill our vacant music teacher position to start this school year. Therefore, our current band/vocal department has taken on additional responsibilities for the short term while we continue to search for the right candidate to fill our position.
Because of this, each elementary school will only have one concert this year instead of a winter and spring concert. Please see the dates below:
Manly Campus- November 17, 6:00 p.m.
Nora Springs Campus- April 28, 6:00 p.m.
We have a very active PTO on both our Nora Springs and Manly campuses. Our parent/teacher organization provides all sorts of awesome support to our students and teachers!
- Nora Springs PTO helped to furnish flex seating in the library for students!
- Both PTO's help to support field trips and special events (like the 3rd grade field trip to the zoo and attending a NIACC production)
- Both PTO's also help to fund special projects or needs that are requested from individual classrooms.
- Both PTO's organize and run two book fairs each year that supports the importance of reading as well as provides books for our classroom libraries and the building library.
- The PTO provides meals at conferences for teachers.
All of these supports wouldn't happen without parents and volunteers. We would love to involve more parents and families on both campuses!
-Nora Springs PTO meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Nora Springs campus library.
-Manly PTO meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the guidance office on the Manly campus.
For more information or questions, please reach out to the PTO through email:
Nora Springs- nsrf.pto@gmail.com
Manly- csmanlyelementarypto@gmail.com
