The E-ConnectionA biweekly publication of the Johnston Community School District

February 5, 2018

Johnston Community School District

www.johnstoncsd.org

BOARD OF EDUCATIONGreg Dockum,

PresidentJill Morrill,

Vice PresidentJustin AllenDeb Henry

Steven HopperJeanie Kerber

Matt StahrDr. Corey Lunn,

Superintendent

OUR MISSIONWe commit all district resources to guide the

learning of each student, to graduate as confident learners with character,

knowledge and the skills to excel in any endeavor they

pursue.

VISIONCreating a culture of

excellence where students come first.

This newsletter is a publication of the

Communications Office for the parents and staff in the Johnston Community School District. Call 278-

0470 with questions or concerns.

Local Finance Guru Visits JHS StudentsWhen it comes to talking dollars and cents, local author, speaker, and finance guru Adam Carroll has the lockdown on what makes sense to students.

As part of an awarded grant from Next Gen Personal Finance, Johnston High School business teacher Kayla Bousum brought Carroll and his messages regarding debt, personal finance savvy, and successfully navigating life as a young adult to JHS juniors.

Johnston High School and its business teachers are leading the way in teaching financial literacy to high school students. In the fall of 2017, Johnston High School was awarded a Next Gen Personal Finance Gold distinction for their commitment to educating all JHS students in 21st Century personal finance skills.

During the summer of 2017, Next Gen Personal Finance analyzed 11,000 U.S. high school course websites to measure student access to comprehensive financial education. Johnston High School was one of only 600 high schools nationwide to deliver the Gold Standard of a required, standalone, semester+ personal finance course.

The 2017-18 school year is the first year JHS has made a financial literacy course a graduation requirement for students. It replaces a technology requirement and was approved by the board in spring 2017. While variations of personal finance classes have been taught at JMS and JHS for years, a required semester-long course now puts financial know-how in the spotlight for all students.

“Adam helped students put their classroom knowledge into a realistic perspective of what saving, debt, and healthy personal finance for life looks like,” Bousum said. “We are grateful for Next Gen Personal Finance for the grant and opportunity to bring such an engaging and entertaining finance authority to our school. Helping students build financial literacy skills now is critical as they prepare for life beyond Johnston.”

Adam Carroll (center) is a Des Moines-based financial expert. JHS business teachers Kayla Bousum (left) and Lexi Shafer (right) used a NGPF grant to bring him to JHS to speak with juniors.

Highlights from the February 5 board meeting are reported here. For full minutes, go to the eBoards website.

ReportsRSP Report (Rob Schwartz via Go-To Meeting): The presentation provided information about the past, current, and future related to demographics, enrollment, and development within the district. A more detailed examination of the 13/14 boundary change looked at the possible impact academic performance and type of student in each attendance area. View the full report here.

Long Range Facility Planning Update (Tom Wollan): With the planning and near completion of the building projects approved in the 2013 bond referendum and various fundings by the Board, there have been a number of other city, school and citizen requested needs. This includes the construction of 106th street on the west side of the new high school building, continued improvements to the Johnston Middle School building (former high school), athletic facility needs and other building needs due to growth and learning spaces. A document was shared by the school district’s architect with the school board outlining these shared needs, estimated costs and timelines. View the document here.

Baseball/Softball Task Force Recommendations (Michael Barta, Todd Merical, Joe Nelson, Eric Rios): Coach Merical and Coach Barta summarized the recommendations from the four taskforce meetings held from November to January. Three softball and baseball field renovation proposals were included in this summary and presentation to the board. Joining Coach Merical and Coach Barta were various softball/baseball players, parents, and taskforce members.

Textbook Fees for the 2018-2019 School Year (Jan Miller-Hook): In anticipation of setting fees for the 2018-2019 school year, fee history and comparison were presented. The proposed fees reflect the same fees as this fiscal year-no increase for the 2018-2019 school year.

First Reading of Policies: The board heard a first reading of recommended revisions to Policies 102.E1 Annual Notice of NonDiscrimination; 405.4 Licensed Employee Continuing Contracts; 505.2 Student Promotion, Retention, Acceleration; 603.2 Summer School Instruction; 603.12 Policy and Guidelines for Administering Student Surveys; 405.9 Licensed Employee Probationary Status; 407.1 Licensed Employee Resignation; 410.2 Summer School Licensed Employees; and 413.4 Classified Employee Dismissal.

Action Items

Publication of Notice of Hearing and Posting of the Notice to Bidders for the NW 106th Street Extension Project (Jan Miller-Hook, Gabe Nelson): Authorize publication of a notice of hearing and of the posting of the notice to bidders in accordance with all legal requirements for the NW 106th Street Extension Project; set bid date of February 28, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. and hearing date of March 5, 2018 at 6:00 P.M. for the NW 106th Street Extension Project. The board approved.

Approval of the 2018 JESPA Negotiation Team Members (Laura Kacer): The following Administrators and/or Directors will represent the District during the Negotiation process for the Johnston Education Support Personnel Association (JESPA): Laura Kacer, Jan Miller-Hook, LaRae Doll, George Smith, and Vickie McCool. The Team represented the District during the previous year’s negotiation process. Keeping the team members allows for consistency in discussion items that may be carried forward. The board approved.

Approval of the 2018 JEA Negotiation Team Members (Laura Kacer): The following Administrators will represent the District during the Negotiation process for the Johnston Education Association (JEA): Laura Kacer, Jan Miller-Hook, Ryan Woods, and Suzie Pearson. The Team represented the District during the previous year’s negotiation process. Keeping the team members allows for consistency in discussion items that may be carried forward. The board approved.

Approval of Special Education Position (Laura Kacer): Due to increased special education enrollment from both new students and students currently in the referral process, additional special education staffing: 0.5 FTE at Wallace and 0.5 FTE at Lawson was requested for the remainder of the school year. The board approved.

Approval of E-Rate Funding (Jan Miller-Hook): Three E-Rate Funding requests were presented and approved with bids going to the following: Wireless controller system Communication Innovators $31,038.92Wireless access points Communication Innovators $86,836.00Fiber locating and marking Iowa Communications Network $18,212.80

Approval of Johnston High School Greenhouse Change Order (Jan Miller-Hook): Change Order #2 for $2,760.00 with DDVI for additional concrete and a slightly larger greenhouse was reviewed by the Owners Committee and recommended for approval. The board approved.

Board Highlights from February 5

Approval of Policies: The board approved revisions to Policies 201 Board of Directors’ Elections and 202.3 Term of Office.

The Johnston Community School District Board of Education and the Johnston City Council will hold a joint work session to be held on February 20, 2018, at 5 p.m. at Johnston City Hall. The JCSD Board of Education regular board meeting will be held Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administrative Resource Center.

Accolades (check out pictures on page 5)

Buryanek, Shepherd Honored by Johnston ChamberThe Johnston Chamber of Commerce has announced their 2017 Businessperson, Citizen, and Ambassador of the Year.

The Johnston Chamber Citizen of the Year is Nancy Buryanek, who serves as the Director of the Johnston Community Education program. The Johnston Chamber Ambassador of the Year is Melissa (Missy) Shepard, an associate at Wallace Elementary. These two women have dedicated many hours of time and effort to making Johnston a welcoming community to all who live here. Thank you for being such fantastic representatives for our district! The two will be honored at the Chamber’s upcoming Annual Banquet, Feb. 15, 2018.

Girls Bowling Named CIML ChampsAfter overcoming the loss of Plaza Lanes bowling alley, the girls bowling team had a tremendous season, ending as the CIML conference champs. Congratulations!

Boys Swimming Captures District ChampionshipFollowing an outstanding regular season, the boys swim team earned the District Championship title and will advance several swimmers to the state meet on Saturday, Feb. 10. Good luck, Dragons!

Wrestlers Advance to State DualsThe Johnston Dragon wrestling team beat out Ankeny Centennial on Feb. 7 to advance to the state duals that will take place the week of Feb. 12. Within the season, Dragon wrestler Cade Moss earned his 100th career victory and Zach Price notched his 165 career victory. Congratulations!

Golf Team Lands National RankingThe National High School Golf Association (NHSGA) has released the 2017-18 boys high school golf national team rankings and the Johnston Dragons have landed at #60 for the first time in school history. The Dragons golf team finished the fall season with a Class 4A State runner-up title; one of the highest finishes in the team’s history. They are coached by Steve Smith, Carson Hattel, and Andy Fehn.

JHS Science BowlThe Johnston High School Science Bowl Team won the Iowa Regional Science Bowl, facing 38 other teams from around the state. They team will go on to represent Iowa at the National Science Bowl Competition in April, which is sponsored by the US Department of Energy (with all expenses paid). Congratulations to students Chris Yao, William Julstrom, Paul Shang, and Aditya Somisetty, along with coaches Kyla Burns, Sara Kate Howe, and Stephanie Buckingham.

JHS Competition Cheer TeamThe Johnston High School Competition Cheer Team traveled to Dallas, Texas January 26-28 for the NCA High School Nationals (cheer competition). The Lady Dragons placed 2nd in the nation in the “Advanced Small High Schools” category. Congratulations to these accomplished student-athletes and their coaches on an outstanding season and national placement!

JHS Academic Decathlon TeamJohnston High School three-peated as the Regional Ac Dec champion over the weekend. Team A edged out Dowling Catholic to earn top honors on Friday, March 26. A total of 43 individual event ribbons and five of the ten overall titles went to Johnston students. The next step for the team is the State Tournament on March 2-3 in Fort Dodge, IA. The Academic Decathlon team is coached by Sue Cline. Another congratulations to these talented students!

JCSD STEMATICS Robotics TeamCongratulations to the district’s FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, The STEMATICS, for a fantastic League Championship this past weekend at Nevada High School. The team finished their preliminary robotic rounds ranked third out of 16 teams and advanced to the finals as Second Alliance Team Captains. With such a strong showing, The STEMATICS were chosen as one of eight teams to advance on to the Super Regional event. The STEMATICS are coached by Andrew McCormick.

2018-19 School Registration and Re-enrollment Now Open2018-19 online school registration is now open for both new and existing families – this will include new developmental kindergartners (DK), kindergartners, and preschoolers.

Please use a laptop or desktop computer to complete the online registration if possible. We recommend using the web browsers Google Chrome, Firefox, or if you are using an iPad, the app Puffin. Using a mobile phone to complete registration is not recommended.

• Preschoolers (ages 2, 3, and 4) should register through Eleyo;• Developmental Kindergartners, Kindergartners, and grades 1-12 can follow the steps on the general enrollment page.

Questions? Please contact our district enrollment specialist, Andrea Eustice, at 515-278-0470.

Get Chopped! With the Johnston PartnershipThe Johnston Partnership for a Healthy Community invites community members to help us chop hunger in our community. In an all-new culinary event, the Partnership will host local chefs at Hyperion Field Club for an interactive live competition on Monday, February 12. Modeled off the Food Network reality show, Chopped!, competitors will be given a mystery box of pantry ingredients and have less than an hour to cook up something amazing for live judging.

Come to enjoy appetizers & drinks, live entertainment, silent auction, and judging by local celebrities and guest judges selected from the crowd! Business or cocktail attire suggested. Buy tickets online here.

Mark Your Calendars for the 2018 Dragon Scholarship Fund AuctionOn Saturday, March 3, the Dragon Scholarship Fund will be hosting its 15th annual auction! With the help of community members & businesses, the Dragon Scholarship Fund has been able to award more than 3,894 scholarships to graduating seniors. Sign up NOW and we’re accepting donations! Let us know if you or your company has a product, service, or experience to donate for the auction (i.e.: sports tickets, timeshares, gifts, art, household items, etc.). Email us at info@dragonsf.org. All proceeds will be used to provide scholarships for JHS seniors.Register and Donate now here. For more information, visit: https://www.dragonsf.org/.

JHS After-Prom Needs Your DonationsJHS After-Prom planning is underway and parent help is needed. This year’s event is set for April 28, 2018. A big THANK YOU to all those who have already donated and/or volunteered to help!

JHS After-Prom is seeking donations from parents who still have it on their to-do list. Donations are appreciated at any time, however prom is “early” this year (April), so having those donations in February for proper planning is key. We are at 20% of our parent fundraising goal - PLEASE HELP US CLOSE THE GAP!

How to donate:• The recommended donation amount is $40. We appreciate whatever amount you are able to give.• Easiest method to donate is via RevTrak at https://johnston.revtrak.net/. There is a link right on the main page. • If unable to donate via RevTrak, checks may be sent to JHS After PromPO Box 678Johnston, IA 50131

This school year’s event is set for April 28, 2018. After-Prom is a FREE event for JHS juniors, seniors and their guests. Students do not need to attend prom to come to this event. We rely 100% on good will of parents and businesses to provide the food, prizes, and activities Nearly 1000 kids attended this safe, fun event last year. It takes volunteers and donations to make this happen. Donations are not a price of admission. Regardless of your ability to give, all are welcome and we encourage your junior and senior children to attend. If you are able to give, please know your donations are needed and appreciated regardless of whether you have a child attending. Thank you for your support!

District News & Announcements

• Arts & Entertainment• Booster Club & PTO Events• Camps & Scouts• District Events

• Educational Opportunities• Sports & Activities• Volunteering & Fundraising

Digital BackpackBe sure to check the digital backpack portion of the website for community organization happenings. Click on the category links below for more details. Fill out this online form to submit a flyer or event.

Non-Discrimination StatementIt is the policy of the Johnston Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices.

There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Associate Superintendent, Dr. Bruce Amendt, 5608 Merle Hay Road, Johnston, Iowa 50131, (515) 278-0470, bamendt@johnston.k12.ia.us.