Category: Curriculum

Welcome to Dunlap Grade School for 2013-2014

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Dear Families,

As Principal of Dunlap Grade School, I am eager to begin the 2013-2014 school year and welcome our staff and students back for another wonderful year of learning. Our mission at DGS is to develop lifelong learners and we have plans in place to do just that.

Ongoing Communication

My personal goal is to maintain open communication with the families of DGS. You will be able to access https://dunlapgradeschool.edublogs.org/, follow us on twitter @dgsroyals, and like us at www.facebook.com/DunlapGrade for information regarding special events and news related to DGS. You may also view the DGS webpage at http://www.dunlapcusd.net/dgs/. You may also email me at mellis@dunlapcusd.net. My door is open and I welcome you to stop by and introduce yourself.

Accomplishments

The summer has been a busy time for DGS. The office, teachers, and support staff have been busy making sure DGS is ready for the first day of school. A list of our accomplishments includes:

  • Creation of student recognition programming
  • Hiring of 3 teachers, music teacher, literacy aide, and classroom aides
  • Meeting of the Building Leadership team to begin to formulate vision and goals for the year
  • Professional Development in the areas of creativity, innovation, professional learning communities, social/emotional learning, math and reading.
  • Deep cleaning of all classrooms, common areas, and building façade
  • Painting of five classrooms
  • New landscaping

Faculty Spotlight

The staff at DGS is filled with educated and enthusiastic individuals that are working collaboratively to ensure the best possible educational environment for your children. Our team this year consists of:

Mandy Ellis, Principal

Lisa Kamin, Secretary

Connie Miller, Office Assistant

Britney Barackman, Kindergarten

Amy Douglas, Kindergarten

John Weaver, Classroom Aide

Courtney Erikson, First Grade

Jennifer Donavan, First Grade

Stefanie Pitzer, Second Grade

Kelsie Zarko, Second Grade

Michelle Graber, Classroom Aide

Jamie Flinn, Speech Pathologist

Natalie Lanser, Third Grade

Samantha Mahrt, Third Grade

Jennie Hatch, Student Aide

Kristen Bishop, Student Aide

Dan Eckert, Fourth Grade

Teresa (Marquis) Jarrick, Fourth Grade

Susan Piper, Fifth Grade

Rachel Wooden, Fifth Grade

Nicole Baier, Special Education

Sara Nauman, Special Education

Danyell Alger, World Language

Kelly Bailey, Counselor

Lisa Sell, Literacy Aide

Karen Conlon, School Psycologist

Alyssa Cabrera, School Social Worker

Dave Combs, Physical Education

Steve Wright, Art

Joshua Anderson, Music

Tina Holloway, Band

Chris Adams-Wenger, Orchestra

Amy Berg, Technology

Michelle Mueckler, Librarian

George Horrie, Custodian

Nancy Riekena, Night Custodian

Renee Kuykendall, Head Cook

Jean Deckard, Cafeteria

Important Back to School Dates

Dunlap Grade has several important events coming up. You will be able to view these events on our school website and will receive updates regarding additional upcoming events in the Parent Bulletin that will be sent weekly.

  • August 12, 2013: Bus and Class lists will be posted by 4pm on PowerSchool. All new families are also receiving PowerSchool login information. If you need additional support accessing PowerSchool, please contact the office.
  • August 13, 2013: Kindergarten Back to School Night at 5:30 pm. Kindergarten students and their families are invited to meet their teachers, learn about DGS from me, and tour a bus and the cafeteria.
  • August 15, 2013: 1st-5th Grade Back to School Night 6:30-7:30pm. Students and parents are invited to bring their supplies to their classrooms, meet their teachers, and meet with Parent’s Club leadership members in an Open House format.
  • August 16, 2013: First Day of School. School will be a full day and students will dismiss at 2:45pm
  • August 27, 2013: Picture Day
  • August 29, 2013: Fall Fundraiser Kick-Off Assembly at 1:45 pm
  • September 2, 2013: No School– Labor Day

School Hours

We will once again follow an early dismissal schedule every Wednesday throughout the school year this year.  This time allows our teacher’s to work collaboratively as Professional Learning Communities with the ultimate goal of improving teaching and learning for all students.  You can find more information about Professional Learning Communities on our district website at www.dunlapcusd.net.

School / Level

Total Minutes

 

2013-14 School Schedule

M, T, Th, F

Wednesday

Start Time

End Time

Start Time

End Time

Elementary School

7 hours

7:39

2:45

7:39

2:15

Middle School

7 hours

8:24

3:30

8:24

3:00

High School

7 hours, 6 minutes

8:18

3:30

8:18

3:00

HS Zero  Hour

49 minutes

7:24

8:13

7:24

8:13

 

Birthday and Classroom Party Treat Guidelines

Foods that come from home for sharing among children for birthday treats or classroom celebrations must be either whole fruits or vegetables or commercially prepared foods in individually sealed packaging that do not contain nuts. This is necessary for both health and safety so we can then read the label to see the ingredients for children with allergies and special nutritional needs. Any items not individually sealed, that contain nuts or baked goods from home or from a bakery will be sent home.

Transportation

  • Class Lists and Bus Route information will be posted in Powerschool by the end of the business day on August 12th. Information regarding bus stops and times will be available at that time. Powerschool information was sent home in registration packets in May. If you need assistance with Powerschool Login information, please contact the office.
  • Please reserve bus transportation changes only for child care situations or emergencies. Transportation changes will not be issued for play dates or social reasons.
  • Morning Procedures will include bus drop-off in the rear of the building. Students arriving to the school by car should be dropped off in the front of the building. All students will report to the gym upon arrival to school.
  • All student absences must be reported to the office by 8:00 am.  You may call the office at 243-7772 or email the office to report an absence by clicking on the ‘email an absence’ link at the top of the DGS homepage.  Please notify the office if you need to pick up your child during the school day due to an appointment.

Student Code of Conduct

The Student Code of Conduct will be distributed to each student during the first few days of school and reviewed by the classroom teacher during the first few weeks of school. Parents will need to sign off stating they’ve read and understand the policies in the handbook and code of conduct. You will receive this information from your child’s classroom teacher.

Visitors

We welcome parents as volunteers in our building. A new security system was installed this summer. All visitors to the school will be required to buzz in at the front entrance of the building and sign in at the office.  There are visitor’s badges on the sign-in table that we ask all visitors to wear while in the building.  In order to maintain the integrity of the learning environment, we do not allow unannounced visits to classrooms during the instructional day.  All classroom visits must be approved by the classroom teacher and/or the building principal ahead of time.  This allows us to minimize disruptions to the instruction taking place in our classrooms.

School Calendar

The Dunlap School District has developed a school calendar that will allow parents to access all district events in one central location. www.dunlap323.tandemcal.com will allow families to view and subscribe to calendar updates and filter events for individual or multiple schools in the district. An additional PDF calendar will be available on the DGS website under the Parents tab. In addition, monthly calendars will be on the back of the lunch menus each month.

Parent’s Club

Dunlap Grade School has a proud history of parental support and involvement. I encourage you to stop by the Parent’s Club informational area in the cafeteria during Open House to get more information on how you can get involved. We have opportunities available for all parents that you can do at school or from home.

Next Steps

We have a lot of exciting initiatives and continued implementation of quality educational programming at Dunlap        Grade this year.

  • Implementation of Math in Focus curriculum at all levels
  • World Language (Spanish) instruction at the K-1 Levels
  • Second Step, a social-emotional learning curriculum, implementation at all levels
  • Creation of Common Formative Assessments to drive instruction
  • Development of 21st Century Learning strategies utilizing new technologies
  • Continued use of Professional Learning Communities
  • Monitoring school goals on the School Data Center and in classroom data centers and student data binders

Parents, teachers, support staff, and administration all have an important role to encourage and empower our children to become active learners that will excel in a global society. It is my sincere desire to provide expanded opportunities for our students to acquire the skills to become productive citizens in a vastly changing society. Through a close and collegial partnership with everyone associated with Dunlap Grade School, I am confident we can make our school an even better place for our students to learn and grow.

Respectfully,

 

Mandy Ellis

Dunlap Grade School Principal

Enrichment Eagles Wraps Up

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District Strategic Goal #1: Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

As our school year is nearing an end, some of our academic programs are as well. Today, Enrichment Eagles, led by Miss Marquis came to a close for the 2012-2013 school year. A year that was filled with new experiences has turned out to be extremely successful. From Odyssey of the Mind activities to Scholastic Bowl competitions, DGS Enrichment Eagles made some great memories while challenging their minds in the process. Students involved in Enrichment Eagles have grown as examples of students that are effective communicators, skilled collaborators, and technology capable producers. As a result of the program’s success this school year, Enrichment Eagles will return in the Fall in all elementary buildings. You can learn more about the District’s Enrichment Eagle Program at http://www.dunlapcusd.net/Departments/Pages/EnrichmentEagles.aspx . Congratulations on a job well done, Eagles!

 

Art Clay Projects

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District Strategic Goal#1: Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

Recently the first and fourth grade classes have completed clay projects in art class.  The first grade “clay-d” bugs allowed the students the opportunity to explore the technique of scoring.  Scoring is when the clay surface is scratched to allow water or liquid clay to enter into it a little.  It basically helps the clay get sticky so pieces do not fall apart once they dry.  They also were able to use glazes and become familiar with the term “kiln”.  A kiln is an oven that heats the clay to high temperatures –almost 2000 degrees!  At high temperatures the clay changes and becomes very hard and the glazes melt and becomes glass-like.

The fourth grade classes recently finished clay cups based on animals –some real, some make believe.  The students began with a simple pinch pot and then added feet, head, neck, etc.  They were also given the opportunity to make the tail of the animal into a handle.  Some students chose to stick with a normal looking tail though, which was fine.  The cups have been glazed and are now waiting to come out of the kiln.  Fourth grade did a great job on them!

2nd Grade Poetry Cafe

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District Strategic Goal #2:

Create a Satisfying and Productive Classroom Learning Environment

April is National Poetry Month. DGS has celebrated by having teachers and staff members read poetry each morning during announcements. 2nd Grade also hosted their annual Poetry Cafe. Poetry Cafe is a day filled with poetry experiences. Students reading, write, and perform poetry in a variety of ways. Enjoy the video below created by Mrs. Pitzer and the links listed below to extend the love of poetry in your own home or classroom.

 

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_engine.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/jack_form.asp

http://teacher.scholastic.com/poetry/

 

 

 

Pig in the Classroom

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District Strategic Goal: Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

Agriculture in the Classroom was back in 4th grade again but this time, Mrs. Spencer came with a little friend! Since today’s presentation was about Pig Farming, a piglet was brought in for the students to see and even pet if they chose to. The presentation consisted of ways that pigs are raised and also how and where they live. An interesting fact we learned was that pigs cannot actually sweat. This was interesting to learn because we have all probably heard the phrase, “I was sweating like a pig!” As it turns out, that phrase is inaccurate! We had fun meeting and petting the piglet and enjoyed the presentation. 4th grade always looks forward to our monthly Ag in the Classroom visits!

Submitted by: Miss Marquis

2nd Grade Student Led Conferences

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Our goals at Dunlap Grade School are to create an environment where are students will continuously excel in a global society by being:

  • Self-motivated learners
  • Critical thinkers
  • Effective communicators
  • Responsible and culturally aware citizens
  • Technology capable producers

One of the key strategies in developing that vision is the implementation of student-led conferences at DGS. Our K-2 students are participating in them this week. At their conferences, students review their individual data binders and communicate opening with their parents and teachers regarding their progress toward their goals. Check out the video below to see what it looks like in 2nd grade!

ASCD 2013

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Each year nearly 10,000 educators and principals gather at the ASCD (American Society for Curriculum and Development) conference. I was lucky to attend this year’s conference as it was being held in Chicago. The conference was jam packed with informational sessions, workshops, author talks and book signings. Among the speakers were Maya Angelou, Sandra Day O’Connor, Charlotte Danielson, Regie Routman, Robert Marzano, and Grant Wiggins.

I took away so many great ideas and was inspired from many of the presenters and attendees that I was able to speak and network with. The focus of the conference was on 21st century learning. I was able to connect with many other professionals during the conference that have become part of my personal learning network (PLN). Through twitter, I was able to learn from and engage in multiple sessions at the same time while physically being present in one. Some key ideas I walked away with:

  • Our Building Leadership Team will evaluate what our school environment says and communicates about our beliefs regarding literacy and writing.
  • We need to empower our students to think for themselves and hone in on the 4 Cs of 21st century learning: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking
  • Excellence is not an accident, it is a result of hard work and effort
  • Kids are capable of excellence with feedback and collaboration
  • Failure is not an option- It is preferred! We learn so much from our mistakes. We need to encourage students to evaluate their mistakes and learn from them.
  • High Expectations promote high levels of student achievement

Enjoy the video I created using iMovie on the drive home!

 

Planetary Learning

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District Goal #1: Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

Kindergarten has been busy studying planets. The class broke into small groups to research a planet and then drew it for a wall display. Then they picked a planet and wrote a report. We have a class full of future astronomers. The kindergarten students are able to share facts and information regarding all of our planets. If you want to explore more about planets with your student, check out Nasa’s Kid’s Club at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html

Peer Writing Conferences

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District Strategic Goal #2: Create a Satisfying and Productive Classroom Learning Environment

4th grade students are working on writing a Persuasive Essay on a topic of their choice. In order to ensure their success in a 21st Century Learning classroom, students shared their essays or their pre-writing with a peer to seek advice on how to improve their ideas or their writing. Students had great conversations about how they could add details to their writing and what they could include in their writing to make their reasoning clear. As they were conferencing, students were changing and adding details to make their writing the best they could.

4th Grade Students Conduct a Peer Editing Writing Conference

ISAT Preparations Continue

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We will be giving your child the state required achievement tests between March 4, 2013 and March 15, 2013. Students in third and fifth grade will be tested in reading and math. Students in fourth grade will be tested in reading, math and science. The assessment schedule will have students completing assessments during the morning. Our Parents Club will be providing a healthy snack for students during the morning of the testing.  Pencils and erasers are also provided to students.

These tests are part of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) program, and are being given to all students. The results of the state tests will be reported on the School Report Card in the fall. We will review these results along with information from our local assessments to help us improve our school program. In addition, you will receive information about your child’s performance on the state tests he or she took.

Third grade is getting excited about ISAT with some encouragement from their teams.  We spent the day encouraging one another with messages on our ISAT t-shirts and followed up with a fun ISAT Jeopardy game.  Students shared the right answers and earned bonus points for finding the proof in the text.  In addition, K-2 Grade students wrote letters of encouragement for all 3-5th grade students. Snacks will be provided by our Parent’s Club. K-2 Teachers are also putting together a special surprise for our 3-5th grade teachers. We are excited and ready to do our best on the ISAT next week!

You can help your child do his/her best on the test with the following support:

  • Make sure your child attends school on each day of testing.
  • Avoid dental, doctor, or other appointments that could keep your child from being at school and possibly missing the test.
  • Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing.
  • Provide breakfast on the mornings of the tests.
  • Remind your child to ask questions if he/she does not understand the test directions.
  • Let your child know you have confidence in his/her ability to perform.
  • Advise your child not to worry about the test. Ask him/her to take it seriously, but to just do the best he/she can.

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