HLWW Middle School Newsletter

Welcome to the HLWW Middle School Monthly Newsletter! We hope this will provide additional insight on the many activities and events taking place at HLWW.

If you wish to be added to the mailing list, please email adamlakerpride@hlww.k12.mn.us

• October 10 - CPR/AED Training Grades 7-12 - 1:00 p.m.

• October 16 - Parent / Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:00 p.m.

• October 17 - Hearing/Vision Screening - MS Grade 7

• October 18-19 - NO SCHOOL

• November 3 - Exploratory Day / Last Day of 1st Quarter
  

It gives HLWW Public Schools great pleasure to inform you that Melanie Lawrence, MS physical education and health teacher, has been chosen to receive the Minnesota Society of Health and Physical Educators’ (MN SHAPE) Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award!

As the Minnesota Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the year, Melanie will be eligible to be considered for the Central District and then the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America) National Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year!

Melanie will be honored at an award ceremony, which will take place during the MN SHAPE State Conference on November 9th in Plymouth, MN.

Congratulations Mrs. Lawrence! We are so very proud of you!

by Jim Schimelpfenig Middle School Principal

The vision statement of HLWW Middle School is to “provide a supportive transitional environment in which students achieve their full potential through a variety of opportunities.” I am proud to announce that we have been able to enhance the “variety of opportunities “by adding two new classes for the 2017-18 school year. The two new exploratory classes added are Agriculture Exploration (Grade 6) and Spanish Grades 7 and 8).

The agriculture exploration class meets every other day, opposite of physical education, for one semester. In this class Mr. Lamont, our new agriculture teacher, teaches about the different components of agriculture which include: agriculture origins, history, horticulture, livestock, and agriculture careers. The goal of this class is to create and awareness of all of the different things that occur in Agriculture and FFA so students can be prepared to make informed decisions about their elective classes in high school.

Our 7th and 8th grade students will get one quarter of Spanish as part of their exploratory rotation with art, computers, and industrial technology. This class is a basic introduction to the Spanish language, cultures and geography. Ms. Backstrom, our new Spanish teacher, teaches the Spanish alphabet, colors, animals, and basic grammar. The goal for this class is to create and interest in foreign language that will help students make informed decisions about their elective classes in high school.

Middle school is the perfect time for students to explore. Giving students these opportunities allows them to discover what their interests are. These interests are then used by the teachers to build strong relationships and increase engagement. The end result is increased student learning. At HLWW Middle School we will continue to create new opportunities for our students to ensure that they are prepared for High School and reach their full potential.

Billy Hucker completes his Eagle Scout project by making 5 tables and 2 benches for the HLWW MS/HS Outdoor Classroom. The pond area on the property is used by science classes to collect water and plants to study.

Pictured are Ms. Meyerson (MS Science Teacher), Mr. Schimelpfenig (MS Principal), and Mr. Mix (HS Principal).

HLWW Public Schools would like to thank Billy and all those friends and family members who helped him make his project possible and for what they have provided our students in this great outdoor classroom setting.

Thank you Billy!

by Joe Puncochar, 6th Grade Teacher

When I think of the communities of Howard Lake, Waverly, and Winsted I think of 3 small rural towns just outside the metro. I think of farm country, lakes, hardworking, genuine people and support for one another. I think of people who are invested in the communities they live in, and people who support the schools and their many activities to no end. I think of the students who show pride in their schools, their academics, and their activities.

Every year at school, I focus on a different part of life that I set as a goal for my students. Sometimes they are purely academic and other times they take a different angle. This year I have chosen to focus on pride and hard work in my sixth grade social studies classes. In today’s society, we are losing some of the principles that built our great country. It seems as if some people do not want to work hard anymore. It seems as if our children don’t understand the value of hard work and the positives that come from it.

Our class motto this year is “Embrace Hard Work” – You’ll feel good when you accomplish something that wasn’t easy. People are always looking for a shortcut to happiness. The quick way to make a buck. However, reality is that happiness can be achieved with hard work and most likely it is achieved more often with hard work than by taking the easy way or getting lucky.

Students often are looking for an easy way to get an “A”. They want a shortcut to get their homework done. Sometimes there isn’t a way to get things done easily and you need to put in the necessary amount of hard work to earn a good score. As a teacher and a coach I feel that it is important that the next generation of students learn that as well. Learning to enjoy it is the hard part.

Hard work can be fun if you focus on the feeling that it gives when the accomplishment is complete. In class, we do projects and we spend time in small groups discussing with our friends. There are some activities that students love and some topics they do not like. When applying this to 6th grade social studies we try to make history, economics, geography and civics relevant in their lives. This can be difficult for a teacher, and the assignments can be difficult for a student that may not love social studies. However, with hard work, students can reach their goals and teachers can help them learn to embrace the work and be excited about their results.

In the past year, my family and I moved to Howard Lake. So now when I think of HLWW, I also think of home. I think of a community that my children can grow up in and see people around them working hard to make this community a better place. I’m happy I chose to live in a small, rural community where my children will have people to look up to and see them living happily because of their hard work.

Rick Baumann's 5th Graders conducted a science lab on Scientific Method. They used paper airplanes to track distance, flight time, and accuracy. The students had to make a hypothesis (educated guess) before doing the activity and then they recorded the results. Each students was given 5 throws for distance, 5 for flight time, and 15 for accuracy trying to fly their paper airplane into 3 different hula hoops set up in the Middle school commons. After each student recorded completed the activities they returned to the classroom to share the results.

by Mrs. Leisha Diers, 5th Grade Social Studies

Fifth graders at HLWW Middle School enjoyed learning about the Plains Indians from guest speaker, Claude Sherod, on Friday, September 29th. A giant teepee was placed in the outdoor learning area behind the school in which all Social Studies students were able to touch artifacts, learn about the Native American past, and sit inside the traditional teepee. Native Americans are one of the cultures fifth graders study, and it’s beyond the book that they will learn the details of how they lived.

I believe students learn best through experiencing what we’re learning and how a culture, like the Plains Indians, traditionally lived, and through seeing what they used in their everyday lives. Mr. Sherod brought many articles with him for the kids to feel, pass around, and understand the significance of the Native American culture. Some of the many Native American articles Mr. Sherod brought included a variety of animal furs, cooking tools, hunting tools, leather bags, and traditional men’s and women’s clothing. A couple of the students’ favorite artifacts were the bow and arrows, turtle-shell baby rattles, and variety of animal furs. All of the fifth grade social studies classes also said they enjoyed seeing the hunting spear made from a deer leg and learning how to make your own Teepee.

As we read more about different tribes, students will work on projects making such things as an Origin Tale, Winter Counts, and differentiating between the seven cultures. I believe all of this will seem more real to them after they experienced the culture of the Plains Indians. They will take their real-life experience and apply it in comparing the next seven tribes and cultures in the following chapter.

The HLWW School District, in collaboration with Holy Trinity, Winsted, and St. James, Howard Lake, is conducting a survey to gather input and perceptions about Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS). This survey is part of a grant through MNDOT.

The data we receive from this survey will be used in our planning process to help us develop a SRTS plan that can be used by our schools, cities, and counties to help with future planning for crosswalks, sidewalks, bike paths, biking and walking campaigns, etc.

Please take some time to complete this survey by clicking on the link for your child’s school. The links are school specific, as we have schools in all three communities. If you have any questions, please reach out to your school principal.

Winsted Elementary

URL: http://www.saferoutesdata.org/surveyformparent.cfm?key=8720168

Humphrey Elementary

URL: http://www.saferoutesdata.org/surveyformparent.cfm?key=3700708

HLWW Middle School
URL: http://www.saferoutesdata.org/surveyformparent.cfm?key=4789558

HLWW High School

URL: http://www.saferoutesdata.org/surveyformparent.cfm?key=8553863

We appreciate your time and efforts in helping us create a plan to provide safer biking, walking, and transportation opportunities for our students!

The survey opens on October 2 and closes on October 23.

Thank you!

HLWW Public Schools is proud to announce the opportunity for students, parents, and community members to vote for our teachers who have applied for a $2,500 grant through Farmers Insurance.

Using the link below, you can vote for the teachers of your choice.

http://www.farmers.com/thank-americas-teachers/vote-for-a-teacher/

We would like to spotlight each of our staffs’ grant proposals. Please cast your vote for as many proposals as you like, but you may only vote once a day for the same proposal.

Laura Heuer, Winsted Elementary: The kindergarten students at our school love to use technology! Adding some technology items into our kindergarten classrooms to be used in small group settings would help increase learning in a fun and educational way. I would like to get a set of iPads to use in our classroom that would also be shared with our kindergarten team in our school building. Along with getting iPads, I would like to purchase some sets of Osmo, a device that transforms an iPad into a unique hands-on educational gaming system for young children to play and to learn. These learning games feature literacy, drawing, physics puzzles, spatial reasoning, coding, and more. It would help my students develop their learning in math and reading skills, creative thinking and physical play. These iPads and Osmo units would be used during our math and reading centers time and would fit well into the curriculum demands of our kindergarten classroom.

Amy Ohlemacher-Lonetti, Winsted Elementary: In my classroom, I focus on increasing student confidence. For my students to be successful learners, they must feel comfortable in our classroom. They must feel comfortable with our classmates, their teacher and their classroom surroundings. Over the past few years, I have noticed more students of mine need to move. Whether we add a Go Noodle app, another outdoor recess, or an indoor game to increase movement; it seems those choices arenâ??t enough for my students. They need additional change in order to be successful students. My proposal for my classroom is to include flexible seating for my students. Flexible seating options could include stability balls, seat cushions, stools, Hokki stools, and pillows. Many studies have shown that by giving students a choice in their seating, they will select a seating option that is right for their learning style. This personal selection gives students increased confidence in their learning which is my goal for their school year.

Emily Konerza, HLWW Middle School: Get On The Boat. As a Howard-Lake-Waverly-Winsted Laker, getting on the boat is our theme for the school year. As a teacher, I will run with this theme by encouraging my students to open their minds to new challenges and reach their highest potential on the horizon. I am fortunate enough to work in a community and with a remarkable staff fully on board with making this a reality. Our students come from hard working middle class families and deserve every opportunity that will help them sail. My proposal is not one simply for my classroom, but for our 7th/8th grade team. In the middle school, our students use chromebook carts that are checked out by teachers when available. With the grant from Farmers, I would like to make our students 1 to 1. The resources that become available to our students would become infinite! These students have so much potential and a 1 to 1 chrombeook setting will help them realize it. Please consider giving our students that chance!

Jodi Sanken, Winsted Elementary: I am ecstatic about the opportunity to write a proposal for my classroom, which I will also share with my colleagues. By purchasing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) materials, we would be working to create problem solvers and critical thinkers, which is our school's goal. My favorite kits would be from "Breakout" by EDU called "If You Take a Mouse to School" and "Help the Cat get his Hat Back." These kits include a story, locks, keys, codes, UV flashlights, QR codes, and clues to help solve the mysteries. These engaging and challenging activities promote team-building and inquiry. I would love to excite the minds of elementary students using these reading, math and science topic kits! Please vote for this project and together we can "Breakout" into a new and different way of learning!

Carol Meyerson, HLWW Middle School: I Excel at IXL! My 8th grade students need access to the online curriculum called IXL. This personalized learning experiences helps students master content in math, language arts, science, and social studies. IXL can be customized for students that need extra help or who need extra challenges above grade-level. This website analyzes what levels of understanding each student is at and then presents materials at the appropriate learning level. Students are presented with shorts clips, diagrams, and explanations to teach students concepts and then they answer questions to test their understanding. Students earn badges when then master content and notifies the teachers and the parent. Most importantly, IXL is fun! Students can access IXL at school or home. IXL also has an app for cell phones. The grant funds would be used to purchase each student a membership to IXL and three Chromebooks for a classroom technology station.

Thank you for your votes! Let's work to get our teachers their grants!