Pride Post

Welcome to the new virtual Pride Post! The goal of this newsletter is to bring to our Goodrell families and community what's going on inside our building and with our students. Immediate announcements will still be sent home via Friday IC Messenger communication and School CNXT. This will be a monthly publication which will feature happenings from the previous month and any look-ahead's for the next month.

The Principal's Office

Greetings and happy new year! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Carrie Romo and I am the Principal Intern. I was born and raised in Kansas City and migrated to Iowa to attend college. I went to Central College and later pursued graduate degrees at Drake University. I have spent my entire professional career with Des Moines Public Schools. During my fifteen years I taught middle school Spanish, I was a GEAR UP advisor, district coordinator, Dream to Teach mentor and coordinator, and Associate Principal at Roosevelt. Through all of those roles, one thing that has never wavered and still remains is my passion for youth and social justice. This drives my work currently as Principal Intern and I look forward to creating more equitable outcomes for all of our Goodrell students, families and community.

I look forward to serving the Goodrell community for years to come! Please feel free to reach out with questions and ideas!

As an IB school, our teachers and students focus on what it means to be a community of learners. Through the IB Learner Profile, our students and staff use a common language to describe and identify behaviors of successful learners, and we strive to be Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, and Reflective. During the month of January students have explored both Communicators and Risk-Takers profiles. We know these are even more important in our current learning model!

Communicators understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Risk-Takers approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Extend the learning at home by asking your student to share what they learned at school focusing on the best way to communicate the information or have your student try a new food, game, or genre of music.

Within-District Transfer Deadline March 1

Reminder that if you are wanting your student to transfer to another DMPS building for the 2021-2022 school year, you MUST fill out a within-district transfer form by March 1. Approval/denial letters will be sent out the beginning of April. Click HERE for more info! You can also call the Open Enrollment office at 515-242-7353 or email Dana Jarvis at dana.jarvis@dmschools.org if you have more questions.

2021-2022 Within-District Transfer Application (within the DMPS district)

2021-2022 Open Enrollment Application (between districts)

Dental Screens for 8th Graders

All students must have a dental screening completed and an IDPH Certificate of Dental Screening form on file with the school prior to enrollment in 9th grade. The required dental screening can be completed anytime within 1 year prior to 9th grade enrollment.

Dental Connections will be at Goodrell to complete dental screens on our “In Person” 8th graders Monday, March 8. More information will be coming through IC Messenger and School CNXT.

If your 8th grade student is virtual or you would prefer your student’s dental screen to be done by your student’s dentist, please have your dentist fill out the downloadable form below and return it to the School Nurse. Forms can be dropped off at school or emailed to the school nurse at Bonita.Steinhelper@dmschools.org.

Returning to 5 days in Person:

As we return to having students in person 5 days a week, please keep these things in mind:

• Please do not send your student to school with any signs of illness. This would include headache, runny nose, cough, fever of 100.4 or greater, sore throat, stomachache. If your student shows any of these signs please contact your healthcare provider for further guidance.
• If anyone in the household has tested positive for COVID-19 please let the nurse know and keep your student home even if they do not have symptoms.
• Please send a reusable water bottle to school with your student every day. Water fountains will continue not be available; however, bottle filling stations will be.
• It may not be possible to maintain a 6-foot distance at all times, so it is even more important that everyone wear masks. All staff and students will continue to wear masks all day, except during mealtimes. Please note that neck gaiters are not acceptable, and the students mask will need to be two layers of fabric and cover their mouth and nose at all times.
• If your student is unable to come to school, and/or participate in virtual learning, please call the school to let us know. We will have questions about symptoms, and the nurse will follow up with you on your student's symptoms as well. Please ensure all phone numbers in infinite campus are up to date and accurate.
• If your student develops symptoms of illness during the school day, it is important that they are picked up as soon as possible. Please prepare for this scenario before the school day so a ride home for your student can arrive promptly.

At Goodrell and across DMPS, we have been working to get sports going again. Skills Academy for boys basketball and cheer started on January 11, which was followed shortly by our first in-person club, Soccer & Ultimate Games, starting on January 13. Also on the 13th, our Special Olympics Unified Sports team congregated in the gym to participate in their second virtual sports clinic with delegations from all across Iowa. We are hopeful that track season will be able to get us back into competitions against other schools when it starts in March. In the meantime, boys and girls swimming starts February 15 and students in 7th and 8th grade will be able to participate at East High School and North High School on their swim teams.

With highly-regarded teacher and coach Mr. John Walling’s retirement last spring, some openings were created in addition to his teaching position. Mr. Walling was the head boys basketball coach and head boys track coach for many years at Goodrell, and his departure meant those positions would need to be filled. Mr. Patrick Lowe was Coach Walling’s long-time assistant in both sports and was elevated to the head coaching position in both. Mr. Aric Rush, who replaced Walling as the Healthy Choices teacher, took on the assistant basketball role that Coach Lowe vacated. Coach Rush is also the club sponsor for the aforementioned Soccer & Ultimate Games. Other coaching changes that occurred earlier in the year include Coach Drea Jones moving to the head volleyball role after Coach Nicole Stuhldryer’s departure for Lincoln’s volleyball program, and Ms. Angel Smyth taking on the assistant girls basketball position when Coach Brooke Nelson decided to step away.

We have many after-school clubs running virtually and there is a wide variety to choose from for all students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Current clubs that are meeting virtually include: Cosmetology Club, Anime/Manga Club, MidPoint Poetry, GLOW, History Club, Battle of the Books, Sisters4Success, Debate, Chrysalis Girls Group, and Al Exito. In addition to these clubs, we have several more that will be starting soon thanks to assistance from our Community to Schools coordinator, Mrs. Sharlene Claytor. New clubs include Sewing Club, where students will learn how to use sewing machines to create products such as pillows and quilts, and DJ Club, where students will learn how to produce music and beats using actual DJ equipment. In addition to those two new clubs, we will also be starting a second session of Culinary Club, a popular club that took place in the fall that allowed students to cook their own food at home while attending a virtual meeting.

Here are lots of different resources from our community, for our community!

• Union Park United Methodist Church (2305 E 12th St./ East of Union Park's rocket slide): The Manna Meal is a free community meal served the 4th Monday of every month. Reservations must be made using this link: Union Park United Methodist Church | Manna Meals (unionparkumc.org) This link will be available until 11:59 pm the Saturday before the meal unless the limit of 250 meal reservations is met. If you cannot use this link, the church office will accept reservations by phone only during weekdays: 515-262-3734. Weekend reservations left by voicemail will not be accepted.

• DMARC Mobile Food Pantry: Additional mobile food pantry times and locations can be found here.

• A Guide for those with Disabilities: (their guardians, families & friends) can be found here.
• Polk County Health Department | Vaccine Information: The Health Department and select Medicap pharmacies will open appointments for the week of February 1, 2021 on Friday, January 29, 2021 at 12:00 PM. To schedule an appointment at select Hy-Vee pharmacies once more of the vaccine becomes available, visit here.. The availability of COVID-19 vaccine appointments is based on vaccine supply. Please visit here. for the most current vaccine information.
• Every Step: Des Moines Healthy Start Project offers free services to promote a healthy pregnancy, baby and family for pregnant moms and families with a child 18 months or younger. Transportation for medical, mental health and dental appointments Health education and resources (prenatal, postpartum, parenting and child development) Similar programming is available for pregnant moms and families with a child 5 years old or younger who live in any zip code in Polk County. For more information, go to the website Home | EveryStep Care & Support Services or call (515) 558-9946.

• Iowa Department of Public Health:

Vaccine Updates/Finder

• Website: https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/NovelCoronavirus/Vaccine/Information-for-the- Public
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth#!
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAPublicHealth
• This site will be updated in the upcoming weeks with information on where to find COVID-19 vaccine providers - https://vaccinefinder.org/find-vaccine

• New Eviction & Foreclosure Moratoriums can be found here.

• Meals for the Heartland: Join us for our annual spring break Meals Madness meal packaging event. Shifts will be available Monday through Friday at 9:30 am, 1:00 pm and 6:oo pm at our West Des Moines Packaging Center. Register online: http://bit.ly/39Vp1GH

• DMACC Pathway Days: Students will learn about the Career Pathway, attend a DMACC information session, hear about the DMACC experience, and interact with program instructors during program presentations.
• Business Spotlights: Get to know a business within Central Iowa by attending our Business Spotlights. Hear from Human Resource professionals and other company leaders to learn about the company and who they are. Presentations will include information about careers within the company, education required, job outlook, and company culture. A virtual tour or video will be included, if possible. ​
• Ask a Professional Events: Attend one of our Ask a Professional s​essions to get to know a professional in a specific career. Hear their story, how they got to where they are today, and the day-to-day of their career. Professionals will include advice for young people interested in the specific career in this Q&A style session. ​​
• Build University-Iowa Intermediary Network: Live virtual, statewide events connect students with engaging industry experts in the skilled trades.

General Information can be found here: Iowa Intermediary Network WORK-BASED LEARNING | in impact

Registration can be found here: https://www.iowain.org/live-events

If you are unable to make an event a recording will be available 1 week after each event.

February 11th Plumbers Panel, February 25th Plumbers Jobsite Tour
March 11th Carpenters Panel, March 25th Carpenters Jobsite Tour
April 8th Operators/Developers Panel, April 22nd Operators/Developers Jobsite Tour
May 13th Lineman Panel, May 27th Lineman Training Facility Tour

• City of Des Moines YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD: Are you interested in making a difference in our community while gaining hands on knowledge of local government? Then work with the Commission in restoring the Youth Advisory Board! We are assembling a task force of energetic and passionate youth ages 14 to 24 in the Des Moines area to assist us in developing a long-lasting Youth Advisory Board. The Board will work with the city to develop recommendations and policies that benefit DSM youth and the entire community. APPLY TODAY! Complete the application form here. A stipend of $250 will be given to persons selected to serve on the task force. Applications are being accepted until February 21, 2021. For questions, please contact the Commission at humanrights@dmgov.org or 515-283-4284

Email: lauren.jacobs@dmschools.org
Website: goodrell.dmschools.org
Location: 3300 East 29th Street, Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone: (515) 242-8444
Facebook: facebook.com/GoodrellMS
Twitter: @goodrelldmpride