Eagles' Voice Newsletter

Mrs. Shirly Balk, CRES Secretary

Over the last few years, Kwik Trip, Inc. has offered the Milk Moola fundraising program to many organizations in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Effective at the end of March, Kwik Trip (Kwik Star) will no longer be offering this program.

Because of this change, we are asking that all 5¢ milk caps be turned in to the Clayton Ridge Elementary office no later than March 15th. This will allow us time to count and ready the milk caps to send off to Kwik Trip for their processing.

We would like to thank each of you who have donated to this worthwhile cause. Again, please get those caps sent to the office no later than March 15.

The Clayton Ridge Elementary Libray in Garnavillo will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair starting on Monday, March 4th until Friday, March 8th. There will be books and additional fun reading related stuff available for students in grades PK-5+. Parents, please feel free to stop in during Parent Teacher Conferences! #ReadingRocks

Mrs. Karen Reichard, CRES

Recess fun!! Staff and students enjoying all the snow at the elementary.

Mrs. Deb Henkes, District Technology Coach

On Monday, Feb. 4th Mrs. Reichard introduced her 2nd grade students to a new math bell ringer activity called "Number of the Day" using the Seesaw app on their iPads. Each day students will see a new number posted on the board when they arrive at school. They will then use Seesaw to respond and share their responses. This daily bell ringer (happens at the beginning of the class - or when the bell rings) will help students continue to develop their number sense and clarify their mathematical thinking. Mrs. Reichard did a fabulous job leading the learning with Mrs. Henkes available to assist students with tech help.

Mrs. Stephanie Thomas, CRES School Counselor

Clayton Ridge Elementary students had an assembly this morning called Laser Science. Not only was the show spectacular, they learned the science behind the light!

Mrs. Stephanie Thomas, CRES School Counselor

Fourth-grade students have buddied up with 1st graders for 15 minutes a day to do some extra reading in the library.

Mrs. Judy Clefisch, CRES

Jenna from Osborne presented the program “Nature’s Web” to Mrs. Clefisch’s 2nd graders. Each student was a part of nature: plant, creature or animal. The rope shows the food chain necessary for the survival of those parts.

Mrs. Judy Clefisch, CRES

As a fun 100th Day Activity, Mrs. Clefisch’s 2nd graders used Aging Booth on their iPads to make themselves look 100 years old. We had many giggles as the app aged the kids from 7 or 8 to 100! The kids also wrote about and recorded what they will be doing when they are 100. Thank you, Mrs. Henkes, for the great activity!

Mrs. Kathy Connelly, CRES

February 14 was the 100th day of school!!

To celebrate, third graders in Mrs. Palmer's and Mrs. Connelly’s classes dressed like it was 100 degrees and brought summer snacks. Technology teacher, Mrs. Henkes took their pictures in front of the green screen and placed the students "on a beach” where they could enjoy the warm weather!

Mrs. Stephanie Thomas, CRES School Counselor

Perfect Attendance Open Gym Time… These elementary students had perfect attendance for 2nd quarter… they were treated to open gym time featuring dodgeball, basketball, and cup stacking! Keep up the great work CRES!

Mrs. Judy Clefisch, CRES

The Farm Bureau presented a program where the kids created an agriculture web to show how items we need and use every day come from different kinds of farms.

Mrs. Tami Palmer, CRES

Third graders loved listening to Keystone AEA team members reading aloud one of their favorite books for World Read Aloud Day!

Mrs. Sara Lawrence, CRES

The fifth-grade flag essay contest is sponsored by the American Legion. Clayton Ridge teachers Jill Stannard and Sara Lawrence assign and work with students on researching and writing “What the Flag Means to Me". This year our Clayton Ridge winners are Daltyn Prince (first place), Kenneth Colsch (second place), and Sawyer Bown (third place). The American Legion is divided into eleven districts, in our district the Fourth District, Daltyn Prince earned second place for his essay. These entries were judged by Fourth District Children and Youth Chairman Harlan Backhaus and assisted by Tammy Sylvester.

The essays were 300 words or less. The theme was What the Flag Means to Me, sponsored by the American Legion. Harlan Backhaus came to present the awards and money to the students. There were many, many very good essays, and it was very difficult to select the winners. All the fifth graders work very hard and learned a lot about our flag and patriotism.

Daltyn Prince won $25 for his first place-winning essay. He placed 2nd place at Districts and won $30.

Kenny Colsch won second place and won $15.

Sawyer Bown won 3rd place and earned $10.

The essays are below.

Mrs. Valeria White, CRHS English

EXTENDED: DEADLINE FOR CONTRIBUTING TO CHEMO CARE KITS

Due to the extreme weather and multiple interruptions to the school routine, the deadline for contributing to the chemo care kit service project has been extended to March 15. Currently, the following items are still needed (as of 2/22) to fill our 55 bags:

unscented hand sanitizer (46 still needed)

unscented lotion (46 still needed)

unflavored or peppermint lip balm (50 still needed)

bottled water (110 still needed)

water flavor packets (100 still needed)

sugar-free hard candy (52 still needed)

puzzle books - Sudoku, crossword, word find (45 still needed)

note pads or journals (23 still needed)

pencils/pens (19 still needed)

colored pencils (43 still needed)

pencil sharpeners (42 still needed)

pocket packs of tissues (47 still needed)

On behalf of the cancer patients at Medical Associates Clinic in Dubuque, thank you for your support of this project!

Mrs. Nicole DeGidio, HS English/Instructional Coach

Congratulations to the Clayton Ridge Individual Speech Team!

Mariah Klemp (Prose) and Chloe Stroschein (Storytelling) earned Division I ratings and will advance to the State Individual Speech Contest at Waldorf University in Forest City on March 9.

Brandon Walker received a Division II in acting and in musical theatre.

Mariah Klemp earned a Division II in poetry.

Henry Scherer received a Division II in acting.

Kaitlyn Ramsey earned Division II in musical theatre and prose.

Pictured Below: (from left): Henry Scherer, Chloe Stroschein, Brandon Walker, Mariah Klemp, Thomas Robinson (absent): Kaitlyn Ramsey

Mrs. Nicole DeGidio, HS English/ Instructional Coach

Our TV News, KOMP LIVE @ 5, earned an overall Division I rating at the Large Group Speech State Contest. Congratulations to Emily Ertl, Victoria Breitbach, Hayley Kann, Abrianna Moore, and Kristen Willenborg!

Video of the Broadcast for Facebook and Paper:

https://youtu.be/6s-V_UwErGs

Ms. Ellen Johnson, CR School Board and Guttenberg Press

Ms. Ellen Johnson, CR School Board and Guttenberg Press

Or at least it will be when class is over. These freshman are in the school commons area studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a project with with an Allamakee School freshman class. From left are Avery Dettbarn, Allamakee English teacher Mrs. Michelle Scott, Vincent Herzog, Clayton Ridge English teacher Mrs. Valeria White and Caden Palmer. (Press photo by Ellen Johnson)

Ms. Ellen Johnson, CR School Board and Guttenberg Press

Thomas Robinson and Jody Palmer show the cereal boxes they designed in their computer applications class using the Photoshop program. (Press photo by Ellen Johnson)

Mrs. Renae Kraus, School Nurse

The Iowa Immunization Law requires:

· All students entering 7th grade to have the Meningococcal vaccine AND a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis or whooping cough) booster before school starts in the fall.

· All students entering 12th grade to have a second dose of the Meningococcal vaccine before school starts this fall. This dose must be given after the age of 16. (One dose meets the requirement if it was received when the child was 16 years of age or older.)

Documentation on an updated Certificate of Immunization showing that your child has received the vaccine will need to be provided to the school nurse prior to the first day of school in August, unless the student has a Certificate of Exemption. If your child has already received the vaccine/vaccines, simply provide the updated record to the school.

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a very contagious disease that causes violent coughing fits that make it hard to breathe.

Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening illness that is caused by bacteria that infects the brain, blood, and spinal cord. It easily spreads in crowded settings.

There will be NO grace/extension period for the implementation of this requirement.

All students entering 7th and 12th grade will need to show proof that they have received the Meningococcal vaccine (and all students entering 7th grade will need to show proof that they have received the Tdap booster), or have a Certificate of Immunization Exemption before school starts in August. Students who have not received the vaccines (or have an exemption on file) will be excluded from school until the vaccines have been administered.

Now is a great time to get these vaccines and beat the back-to-school rush by scheduling an appointment for your child. Remember to get an updated copy of your child’s immunization record to provide to the school after he or she has received the vaccine. (Please submit the updated immunization record to the school nurse as soon as possible after your child receives the immunization.)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your school nurse or health care provider.

Mrs. Tami Palmer, CRES

Clayton Ridge High School softball coaches, Tierney Schneider and Mason Palmer, attended a coaching clinic in Des Moines where the Iowa Hawkeye softball coaches, as well as other college coaches spoke. They learned a lot and are looking forward to the season starting!

Mr. Wahls and Mr. Finnegan attended various state-level education focused meetings in Des Moines, including meetings with Representative Anne Osmundson and with Governor Reynolds. Thanks for always advocating for Clayton Ridge students and teachers and keeping CR in the loop with Iowa policy initiative updates!

Mrs. Deb Henkes, District Technology Coach

Media and digital devices are an integral part of LEARNING in our world today. The benefits of these devices, if used moderately and appropriately, can be AMAZING.

In a world where children are "growing up digital," it's important to help them learn healthy concepts of digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills. Sometimes it's hard as a parent to know what those skills are and what are good limits to set to meet your children's needs.

Following are a few tips to help families manage the ever-changing digital landscape:

Treat media as you would any other environment in your child's life. The same parenting guidelines apply in both real and virtual environments. Know your children's friends, both online and off. Know what platforms, software, and apps your children are using, what sites they are visiting on the web, and what they are doing online.

Set limits. Kids need and expect them. Media use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits.

Screen time shouldn't always be alone time. Co-view, co-play and co-engage with your children when they are using screens—it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning. Play a video game with your kids. It's a good way to demonstrate good sportsmanship and gaming etiquette. Don't just monitor them online—interact with them, so you can understand what they are doing and be a part of it.

Be a good role model. Teach and model kindness and good manners online. Because children are great mimics, make your use media use a way to model our expectations.

Create tech-free zones. Keep family mealtimes, other family and social gatherings, and children's bedrooms screen free. Turn off televisions that you aren't watching, because background TV can get in the way of face-to-face time with kids. Recharge devices overnight—outside your child's bedroom to help him or her avoid the temptation to use them when they should be sleeping.

It's OK for your teen to be online. Online relationships are part of typical adolescent development. Social media can support teens as they explore and discover more about themselves and their place in the grown-up world. Just be sure your teen is behaving appropriately in both the real and online worlds. Many teens need to be reminded that a platform's privacy settings do not make things actually "private" and that images, thoughts, and behaviors teens share online will instantly become a part of their digital footprint indefinitely. Keep lines of communication openand let them know you're there if they have questions or concerns.

Warn children about the importance of privacy and the dangers of predators and sexting. Teens need to know that once content is shared with others, they will not be able to delete or remove it completely, and includes texting of inappropriate pictures. They may also not know about or choose not to use privacy settings, and they need to be warned that sex offenders often use social networking, chat rooms, and online gaming to contact and exploit kids.

Remember: Kids will be kids. Kids will make mistakes using media. Try to handle errors with empathy and turn a mistake into a teachable moment. But some indiscretions, such as sexting, bullying, or posting self-harm images, may be a red flag that hints at trouble ahead.

As always, the Clayton Ridge Community School is here to help, please contact us if we can be of additional assistance.

For more information go to: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Tips-for-Parents-Digital-Age.aspx

Here's a video to post with this article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGG7pGCIOCU

Mrs. Deb Henkes, District Technology Coach

Media and digital devices are an integral part of LEARNING in our world today. The benefits of these devices, if used moderately and appropriately, can be AMAZING. However, there are times when technology access can be harmful to our children’s wellbeing. This is why we are alerting you to this recently resurfaced widespread international issue.

It’s called the “MOMO Challenge” or the ’suicide killer game'. When Children participate in this challenge they communicate with a stranger concealing themselves as “Momo” using a creepy image. Children are then asked to complete various tasks ultimately ending with Momo telling the participant to take their own life and record it for social media.

It is primarily communicated through Facebook’s WhatsApp, but can show up in other social media sites hidden within animated videos on YouTube and more.

Quick Tips for Parents:

1. Use the parental controls on your devices to limit access for your kids.
2. Supervise their technology usage.
3. Talk to your children about what they’re viewing and tell them to let you know right away if they encounter something scary or inappropriate online.
4. Ask your children to talk you or to talk to a trusted adult about these issues… talking to other children can create more undue fear for all involved.
5. Teach kids about what is fake versus real.
6. Show older kids how to block and report online.
7. Support and encourage your kids to resist dares/peer pressure and that they should never do anything dangerous or illegal.

More information can be found on the attached graphic and on the following websites:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/momo-challenge-resurfaces-police-issue-warning-to-parents/

https://unfilteredamanda.blog/2019/02/26/momo-challenge/

Nancy Ruzicka, Assistant Librarian

Toddler Time - March 8 at 10:30 a.m.
Join Miss Nancy for an hour of stories, songs, and crafts.
Ages 2-4

Adventure Hour - March 15 at 2:15 p.m.
Stop in and join the fun! Listen to a story, create a craft and play a game.
Grades K-5
Adventure Hour will be canceled if school is scheduled until 3:30 PM that day.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover - March 22 at 4:00 p.m.
Drop your stuffed animal friend off between 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. for the sleepover. You can read a good night story and tuck your friend in for the night. Pick your stuffed animal friend up the next morning and see what they were up to all night!


For more information on any of these programs,
please contact the Guttenberg Library at 252-3108.

Clayton Ridge Community School District has both a north and south campus. The northern campus is located in the midst of the rolling prairie of Garnavillo, Iowa and currently serves students in grades PK-5. The southern campus is situated among the picturesque Mississippi River bluffs and boasts a magnificent view of the mighty river and Lock & Dam 10 in Guttenberg, Iowa. The south campus serves middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12).

Email: ndegidio@claytonridge.k12.ia.us
Website: http://www.claytonridge.k12.ia.us/
Location: 131 South River Park Drive, Guttenberg, IA, USA
Phone: (563)252-2341
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clayton-Ridge-Community-School-District-1669852486604559/