Cowles Montessori Crier

“Human flourishing, as Maria Montessori put it, means becoming a person of one’s time and place with the means and wherewithal not only to function within but to shape society (NCMPS, 2019).”

“All humans (CHILDREN and ADULTS) flourish in society (ENVIRONMENT).” - Cowles Montessori Vision

Sweetheart Dance

• Friday, February 7th
• PrePrimary and Lower Dance at 6:00-6:50 p.m.
• Upper and Middle School Dance at 7:00-7:50 p.m.

CMPG Monthly Meeting

• Monday, February 10th from 6:00-7:00 p.m. - Cowles Music Room

Fine Arts Day

• Tuesday, February 18th

International Montessori Week

• Week of February 24th
• Montessori Education turns 113 years old!

Boosterthon Glow Run

• Friday, February 28th
• See details below

• Tuesday, March 10th from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Cowles Montessori School

On Tuesday, March 10th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., Cowles Montessori will be holding an International Night. International Night will be held to honor and celebrate the diversity and peace that Maria Montessori would all want us to display. The different grade levels will all have parts to play in this event. We will have a school-wide sing-along of peace songs for all to join. Families are encouraged to wear traditional clothing from their various cultures. This is shaping up to be a very fun event, and we are excited to see it all come together! We hope everyone can attend and help Cowles celebrate the diversity and peace that Maria Montessori longed to see in children and in the world. Keep a lookout for emails from classroom teachers and classroom parents with more details.

- Montessori Parent Education Committee

Parents and Families—this year’s main fundraiser is the Cowles Glow Run! It’s a two-week program that kicks off with a Pep Rally on February 19th. Families will then gather pledges for every lap your student runs (30-35 laps) at the fun run on February 28th. This year our goal is to raise $20,000 to keep our Montessori school current along with staff professional development. We’ve asked the experts at Booster to power our fundraiser to make it easier, more profitable, and more fun.

Students will also experience an amazing character theme, MINDSPARK: WILD WEST! Booster’s most exciting theme yet combines S.T.E.A.M. skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) with character-building. While they're teaming up with the MindSpark Kids to save Dr. Shock, our students will learn five character traits that will help strengthen themselves and our world.

Please help our school by getting pledges from family and friends and entering them on FUNRUN.COM. Also, all families are invited to come out and cheer on our students at the Cowles Glow Run. Thanks so much for your support!

Cowles Parents:

It is time to start thinking about next year's enrollment. If you currently have a student enrolled at Cowles, siblings get preference for enrollment here, too. That means if you have a three or a four year old who you would like to attend Cowles next fall for preschool, you need to complete the application process now.

The application can be found here.

If you have already completed an application, then you do not need to do anything else. If you have a student enrolled here and you are interested in having older siblings enrolled here (not preschoolers), you also need to complete an application. The application can be found here.

If you live in Des Moines, complete the Within District Transfer Form. If you live outside of Des Moines, complete the Open Enrollment form. These forms do not carry over year to year, so you must complete one each year you apply to have your student enrolled at Cowles.

The applications are due by March 1, 2020. The Enrollment Department will start notifying parents of enrollment opportunities in April and May.

All applications are processed on a first come/first served basis, with the understanding that those with students already enrolled here get preference. Placement of older students is based on availability of space in a classroom.

Thank you for your attention to this application requirement and deadline. Let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Marian

Cowles Montessori School

515-242-7818

Legislative Update for 01/31/2020

SSB 3096 (State School Aid) establishes a 2.1 percent growth rate in school aid, which is an increase of approximately $76 million.

HSB 587 (State School Aid) establishes a 2.5 percent growth rate in school aid, which is an increase of approximately $100 million.

Both SSB 3097 and HSB 594 (Transportation/Per Pupil Equity) add $7.65 million in new funding for transportation inequity funding, and $5.8 million (additional $10 to the state cost per pupil) to address per pupil inequity. All of these bills passed out of subcommittee and are eligible for a vote in their respective Education Committees next week.

Other bills that passed in subcommittee this week.

SSB 3080 - Classroom Behavior/Room Clears – Senator Sinclair sponsored the bill and chaired the subcommittee. She stated that she has been hearing repeated concerns regarding safety in the classroom for teachers and students so she drafted this bill to make classrooms safer and welcomed input from stakeholders. Several education stakeholders attended the subcommittee and provided input. The bill is outlined below, however, there will be amendments forthcoming.

• Requires the Department of Education (Department) to develop standards for responses to behavior in the classroom that presents an imminent threat of bodily injury to a student or another person.
• Provides funding for educators to receive training to include the use of least restrictive environment, developing Individualized Education Plans and other strategies to address difficult behavior and improve academic engagement.
• Establishes grants for therapeutic classrooms and allows schools to collaborate on the creation of therapeutic classrooms.
• Regulates methods used for classroom clear situations.
• Requires schools to notify parents about the situation.
• Establishes reporting requirements to track incidents of violent behavior.
• Provides, under certain circumstances, immunity from liability for school staff.

The companion bill HSB 598 is scheduled for a subcommittee on Wednesday, February 5, at 6 p.m. Representative Dolecheck stated that he scheduled the subcommittee outside of business hours to allow school personnel and other stakeholders the opportunity to attend and provide input.

SSB 3075 - School Employee/Volunteer Immunity - Provides that if a school employee or school volunteer is granted immunity from any civil or criminal liability resulting from physical contact, if reasonable to prevent injury to self or others, the school district and board of directors of the district or authorities in charge of nonpublic accredited schools shall also be granted immunity to the same extent. The bill is in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SSB 3067 – School Health Screenings - Prohibits school districts from administering or conducting health screenings not required by state or federal law unless parental consent has been acquired. The bill passed in subcommittee and input was provided that will be considered for an amendment. One of the items that will be addressed is the definition for health screening.

SSB 3019 – State Accreditation Standards and Process – Provides career and technical education instructors with the option to use their education as well as experience to meet the community college state accreditation standards. Currently, there are two minimum faculty requirements available for community college career and technical education instructors. A proposal was developed by the Faculty Standards Task Force and was endorsed by the community college chief academic officers. The changes would provide community colleges with flexibility while maintaining credentialing standards and quality minimum faculty requirements in hiring career and technical education instructors, particularly in career and technical education fields with a shortage of quality instructors.

SF 2065 - Extra Bonding Capacity, School Resource Officers – Authorizes school districts to raise property tax or income surtax for school resource officers and allows school districts to use funding from the Instructional Support Program for school resource officers beginning with the 2020-21 school year. The bill is eligible for a vote in the Education Committee with an amendment.

SF 316 - Special Education Interim Study Committee - Requires an Interim Study Committee to learn about special education state and federal requirements, IEPs, inclusion and least restrictive environment, teacher training, practices and strategies to best accommodate students with severe emotional, social and behavioral problems. This bill passed in the Senate last year and the subcommittee was held in House. The report is due December 18, 2020.

HSB 559 – Teacher Preparation Reports – Requires the Department to publish passing rates by higher education institutions for exit tests. There are two tests required in statute for teacher preparation program candidates. One is to be admitted into the program, one is to exit. There was a companion bill, SF 2010, however, the bill was dropped, as the Department is now publishing the information. A subcommittee was held on HSB 559, where they added an amendment, which removes the admission test requirement.

HF 2088– Professional Development Spending - Requires that funding provided to school districts for professional development cannot be used at an amusement park. Provides that BOEE rules must specify that time spent for professional development at an amusement park cannot be used to meet license renewal requirements unless held in a conference facility or meeting room.

Bills scheduled for a subcommittee next week.

HSB 576 - English Proficiency Weighting - Establishes two categories for weighting to support students with limited English proficiency into emerging and progressing categories. The bill defines both categories and assigns a supplementary weighting of 0.3 to emergency English Language Learners (ELL) and a supplementary weighting of 0.25 is assigned to progressing ELL students. Currently the weighting for all ELL students is .22.

HF 2150 – Bus Driver Hiring Practices Work Group - Requires the Department to convene and provide administrative support to a work group to study hiring practices, recruitment and background checks for school bus drivers. The work group will submit their findings and recommendations by November 20, 2020.

HF 2147 – School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) - Authorizes a school district or an Area Education Agency (AEA) to apply to SBRC for approval to revise district reports, data, or other information certified or reported to the Department for any of the three preceding school budget years. The SBRC would be required to annually submit a report to the Department by January 1, containing a summary of all requested revisions and decisions.

SF 2056 /HF 2090 - Seizure Safe Schools - Requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools with a student enrolled who has a seizure disorder to have an individual health plan; to have a registered nurse employed full-time to administer seizure medications; oversight of a vagus nerve stimulation; to provide biennial training relating to seizures to all employees; and to have one employee trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of seizures commencing July 1, 2020. The bill also requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules and the Department to implement a seizure education program statewide using the Epilepsy Foundation of America training.

Why?

• English Language Learners (ELL) are the fastest growing group of students in the Des Moines Public School District, representing more than 22% of the student population. The District serves more than 7,300 ELL students
• The diverse student population represents 106 different nations and speaks 200 different languages and dialects.
• The ELL population in the Des Moines Public School District accounts for nearly a quarter of the ELL student population statewide.
• Effective ELL Better Prepares Students. Increasing the weighted funding will improve services provided to ELL students and help develop their proficiency in the English language so they can be successful in the educational setting.
• Children benefit from learning in their primary language before a secondary language can be effectively taught. This process takes time and resources.
• DMPS continues to enroll refugee students from around the world. The critical needs of these students, in addition to learning English, are multiple and resource intensive.

If you have time to make one or more contacts today, it will greatly improve our chances of moving this essential bill forward! Please also forward this alert to family and friends.

Community Legislative Action Team

Website: CLAT.dmschools.org

Facebook Page: facebook.com/DMCLAT

Ways to get involved:

• Attend a CMPG meeting and/or serve on the board
• Sweetheart Dance (February 7th)
• Join the committee. Signup link coming soon! Chaperones needed!
• Help Nurse Ann Administer hearing screening February 6th and 7th
• Boosterthon
• Collect sponsorships. Be available to support the team during the event
• Spring Adults Only Event (April 26th)
• Arts Festival
• Field Day
• Pre-primary Aid Assistance
• Teacher Appreciation Week

Adult Only Fundraiser:

• April 26th event at Ironside Axe Throwing is planned for 2-5 pm
• Ticket price is in the works
• Snack type food will be served
• Ramona and her band, “Ramona and the Sometimes” have graciously offered to perform from 4:00-4:30 p.m.
• Classroom art projects, a raffle, and other fundraising activities are being brainstormed

Take a few minutes to take this survey. It will provide us with important information about Parent Education:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRYZKRKDM3Er5V_-rU_Uq3UPeIuL4o2UJrre-QpnN2B_ZQCw/viewform

Warm Your Heart is about more than just giving away free furnaces; it’s about protecting those in need of heat in central Iowa. Sadly, hundreds of families are unable to provide safe and quality heat for their family during the frigid months. Our goal is to close that gap.

If you know a family that deserves a free furnace, please fill out the form. Families are selected based upon need, their story and the resources available. The deadline for this year’s nomination is February 14, 2020. Nominations received outside of the promotion period will be considered once the promotion begins next year. The nominee must own their home and live within 40 miles from downtown Des Moines.

https://www.servicelegends.com/warm-your-heart/

Car Line Traffic Flow: Important Things to Remember

To ensure student safety and the efficiency of our traffic flow system, please note the following:

• If you are new to Cowles or new to parent pick-up, notify the office if you need a sign with your child’s name for your car for parent pick-up
• Drop-off and pick-up locations are marked on the map
• Right-hand turn only when exiting the parking lot
• "NO PARKING" zones are designated by city signs that are posted (also indicated on the map)
• When picking up your child, post their name sign in your window and our teachers will support students crossing and loading into your vehicle
• Watch for signals from teachers supporting students at designated crossings
• Follow the traffic laws that pertain to cell phone use and seat belts while driving

Email: todd.johnson@dmschools.org
Website: cowles.dmschools.org
Location: 6401 College Avenue, Windsor Heights, IA, USA
Phone: 515-242-7818
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CowlesMontessori/
Twitter: @CowlesDMPS