February 2025
Winter Weather Won't Slow Us Down!
While winter weather hasn’t exactly cooperated, it’s hard to believe we’re already looking ahead and making plans for next year! In the meantime, our focus remains on instruction and ensuring alignment from PK-12 across all our buildings. I’m so proud of the work our staff has been doing this year to improve the children's experience as we continually improve what and how we teach them.
We’d like to extend heartfelt congratulations to our three retirees, Denise Bracewell, Deb Hainer, and Jeff Sontag, who have dedicated over 80 years of combined service to our district. Their impact has been immeasurable, and we thank them for all they have done for our students, staff, and community. Their legacies will live on long after they finish their careers this Spring.
Winter sports are wrapping up, and our teams have finished strong! A special shoutout to our girls’ wrestling team—congratulations to Lily and Emma for placing within the top four in their weight classes. They both capped off their senior years representing Colfax-Mingo with pride. Basketball is finishing up their regular season and ready to move into the postseason with both teams showing excellent growth and we are so excited for the future of both programs. Boys wrestling will hit the mats this weekend as they get ready for state qualifying. Best of luck to all of our athletes; continue to make us proud.
Our facilities have been bustling with activity as we host various events, and we encourage everyone to come out and support our Tigerhawks. These events have included state qualifying for both girls' and boys' wrestling, district basketball, and multiple youth activities. Your energy and enthusiasm make a difference, so be sure to come out and see the great things happening in our awesome facilities.
As always, we remain committed to fostering excellence for all in everything we do in Colfax-Mingo.
Warm regards,
Tim Salmon
Superintendent
Colfax-Mingo, CSD
We want to hear from you! If you have any upcoming events or activities that you’d like to share, please send the details to cmactivities@colfaxmingo.org. We’ll be happy to include them in our newsletter to keep everyone informed and engaged.
Thank you for helping us build our community!
Important Dates
🗽Monday, February 17th - NO SCHOOL ~ Presidents Day
🏫Tuesday, March 4th - 1 HOUR EARLY OUT ~ Elementary School Conferences
🏫Thursday, March 6th - 1 HOUR EARLY OUT ~ Jr/Sr High School Conferences
🏫Tuesday, March 11 - 1 HOUR EARLY OUT ~ Elementary & Jr/Sr High School Conferences
🌸March 14th - March 21st - NO SCHOOL ~ Spring Break
Elementary
Dear Family,
We are thankful for you being part of our school community! The world is changing quickly and we want to do everything we can to help students be successful in school and life.
We are excited to tell you that we will be using a program called PurposeFull People this year. This program teaches skills that will help students be successful in school and in life.
We believe that students should have safe, predictable places to learn where they feel included. Students should have healthy and helpful connections with teachers and classmates. They should also experience learning that will help them tackle challenges inside and outside of school.
PurposeFullPeople is more than a set of lessons - it is a partnership between schools and families to create a place where students feel like they belong and learn skills that will help them be the best they can be!
Purposefull People has three main goals for students: Be Kind, Be Strong, and Be Well.
- Be Kind: Social skills like listening, friendship, solving conflicts, and leadership. ○ These skills are taught alongside Empathy, Respect, & Cooperation
- Be Strong: Skills that help students focus, stay organized, and set goals. ○ These skills are taught alongside Responsibility, Courage, & Perseverance
- Be Well: Skills that help students handle their emotions and deal with stress. ○ These skills are taught alongside Gratitude, Honesty, & Creativity
This year, you’ll be invited to join the fun! We will send letters home about the skills and strengths being taught each month. Each letter will include some ways to build these skills at home, discussion starters, and fun challenges you can try with your family.
The path forward is full of growth! We cannot wait to partner with you in this work… ● To teach students how to build strong friendships
- To work together to solve problems, big and small
- To grow skills for life
- To become PurposeFull People
With Gratitude,
Ms. Terlouw
On January 20, the Colfax-Mingo staff had the opportunity to travel to Baxter during a shared professional learning day. The morning was spent in mini-learning sessions on the topic of artificial intelligence. Some groups explored AI tools and platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Magic School. Other groups learned how AI can differentiate reading passages and improve comprehension. Still, others began developing school policies on the safe and responsible use of AI. Sessions were led by in-house experts and Heartland AEA staff. It was a great day of learning, with between 90-100% of staff responding positively to a feedback survey at the end of the day. Staff are excited to integrate AI into their classrooms and look forward to continuing their learning in this area.
TEAMMATES
Tigerhawk Family,
Currently, we have far more elementary and secondary C-M students interested in being mentees than adult mentor matches from our communities for our Teammates mentoring program. If you can commit to merely 30-45 minutes per week, then you could become a Teammates Mentor and help positively change the life of one of our Tigerhawk students.
To be clear, these weekly mentoring sessions of 30-45 minutes must take place during the school day and on school grounds to protect everyone involved. (As long as it's when staff are in the building, either immediately before or after school would also be acceptable, as would lunches--as long as the meeting takes place at the school.)
Please consider this personally and ask your friends, neighbors, and family members to also see how easy it could be to make a huge impact in the life of one of our students. Email any questions to Matt Barkalow mbarkalow@colfaxmingo.org, Lindsay Porter lporter1@colfaxmingo.org, or Tara Surprenant tsurprenant@colfaxmingo.org.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
- With spring break and the latter part of the school year approaching, now would be a good time to schedule a physical for your student. All incoming 7th graders must have a Tdap and Meningococcal ACWY vaccine. These vaccines must be completed before the next school year begins, or your student will be excluded from school and activities.
- Please remember our expectations for illness. If a student has a temperature of 100 degrees or greater, has diarrhea, or has been vomiting, we ask that they not return to school until they are symptom-free without the use of medication for 24 hours. If your child has a persistent cough and is generally not feeling well, please use your best judgment. If they are sick, please keep them home.
- Handwashing is one of the best things we can teach our children to prevent the spread of germs. Have a conversation with your student about handwashing and when it should be done. Examples: before meal time or after using the restroom.
If your child has a change in their health status, please reach out to me at lcummins@colfaxmingo.org or give me a call at the elementary at 515-674-3465.
Lindsey Cummins BSN, RN
District Nurse
Colfax-Mingo Community School District
The Colfax-Mingo School Board is dedicated to ensuring the best educational experience for our students. We make decisions on school policies, budget allocations, and program development, all with the goal of enhancing the quality of education in our district. Your feedback and involvement are essential to our success!
🔷CLICK ON THE LOGO FOR BOARD AGENDAS AND MINUTES🔷
Upcoming Meetings:
Date: February 18, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Central Office Building, 1000 N. Walnut St., Colfax, IA 50054 (south of Kum N Go)
We encourage all community members to attend and participate. Your voice matters, and together, we can positively impact our schools.
Thank you for your continued support!
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