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

Professional Development Day (no school for students)

• Tuesday, February 25th

Parent-Teacher Conferences

• Beginning the week of February 24th through March 13th

Boosterthon Glow Run

• Friday, February 28th
• See the schedule below for when your child(ren) participates

CMPG Monthly Meeting

• Monday, March 9th at 6:00 p.m. - Cowles Music Room

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

Spring Break

• Begins Monday, March 14th through Wednesday, March 25th (No School)
• Students return Thursday, March 26th

Cheer on your child(ren) at the Glow Run on 2/28/20!!

Glow Run student schedule for 2/28/20:

• 8:45-9:30 – Mrs. Fischer, Ms. Kelly, Mrs. Mattes
• 9:30-10:15 – Ms. Calaway, Mrs. Darcy, Mr. Bonnette
• 10:15-11:00 – Ms. Ashley, Mrs. Andlauer, Mrs. Keninger
• 11:00-11:45 - Ms. Stacey, Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Maxwell
• 11:45-12:30 – Ms. Lori, Mr. Egherman
• 12:30-1:15 - Mrs. Lindsey, Mrs. Thompson
• 1:15-2:00 – Middle 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

Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

When: Saturday, April 25th - CHECK-IN 8-8:45 am RUN 9 am

Who: Everyone! - including students, parents, staff, friends, and family. Everyone that attends, either as a supporter (bystander) or a runner/walker, helps to raise money for our school.

As of 1/20-the current funds pledged are over $7,000 and growing.

In 2019, over $17,000 was raised and it is projected to raise more this year.

This is the second year for the event.

Website to register is:

http://www.dmschools.org/onerun/

All supporters and runners/walkers need to register as soon as possible. This helps raise awareness and more businesses across central Iowa will see the importance of donating to this fundraiser.

OneRun is a district-wide Des Moines Public Schools fundraiser. This unique event is an opportunity for Des Moines to become #1 in yet another category: funding education.

Can I fill out one registration for my whole family? No, each participant will need their own registration form. For example, a family of four will need four registration forms.

Can kids participate? Absolutely! Please bring the whole family, your neighbors, your co-workers, everyone! The route will be approximately two miles. The more people that designate your school in their registration, the more money goes to your school!

I am unable to run - can I still participate? Yes! There are two ways to participate. You can register to be a runner or a supporter. The supporters are invited to bring signs, bells, noisemakers, etc. and line the path to cheer for the runners. People who participate as supporters will help create an incredibly uplifting, inclusive event for all. Donations are not required for registration; anyone who is able is invited to donate any amount.

How do the donations work? Corporate and individual donations will be given to the DMPS Foundation. After the event, the participants (runners and supporters) will be tallied by the school designated in their registration. The Foundation will disburse funds to each participating school according to their percentage of participants in the event. OneRun 2019 raised over $17,000 and resulted in $14.25 per person sent to the school of each participant’s choice.

What will the donations be used for? Each school may identify the best way to use their portion of the funds for an enhancement or experience that aligns with the mission of the DMPS Foundation: The Des Moines Public Schools Foundation exists to enhance quality Education for all Des Moines students, with special emphasis in the areas of Science and Fine Arts.

Can I and/or my business donate? YES! Checks can be written to DMPS Foundation C/O Sue Renfro, Memo: OneRun, and mailed to: 2100 Fleur Drive Annex; Des Moines, IA 50321 or donate online: www.dmpsfoundation.org/donate-now

Ways to get involved:

• Attend a CMPG meeting and/or serve on the board
• Join the committee. Signup link coming soon! Chaperones needed!
• Help Nurse Ann Administer hearing screening February 6th and 7th
• 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

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

Bills that passed out of a Senate Committee and have made it through the first funnel:

SF 2313 – Future Ready Iowa – There are seven divisions included in the bill. The bill passed in the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously with amendments. There is a companion bill, HF 2384, which passed in the House Commerce Committee with a vote of 19-4 and was referred to Appropriations. The details of that bill were outlined in my February 7, Legislative Update.

SF 2310 – Iowa Learning Online (ILO) – Strikes Iowa Code language that places ILO under the Department of Education (Department) and transfers the online learning program to the Area Education Agencies (AEA). The bill passed the Senate Education Committee on a unanimous vote, with an amendment, making the ILO transfer contingent upon receiving an appropriation. The bill is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2258 – Guardianship Verification – Requires a guardian to provide verification of guardianship when enrolling a child in a school district. The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee on an 11-2 vote with an amendment, which allows the use of a notarized letter signed by the student’s parent as verification. The bill is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2356 – Dyslexia Provisions - The bill accomplishes several things.

• Directs the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC), to adopt rules prescribing standards and procedures for approval of a practitioner preparation program offering an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement issued by the Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE).
• Requires the Department and AEAs to maintain a dyslexia consultant.
• Establishes an Iowa Dyslexia Board.
• Requires districts to administer the dyslexia diagnostic assessment (if funds are appropriated for the development of the assessment).
• Requires teachers to complete the IRRC dyslexia module within one year of hire.

The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee on a unanimous vote with an amendment, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2224 - Guns and School Transports - Allows individuals with a valid nonprofessional permit to carry a firearm on school grounds if they are on school grounds to transport a person to or from, or delivering an item to the school; and if they remain in a parking area or driveway. The bill passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 10-3 vote, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2184 – Carrying on School Grounds – Allows a peace officer to carry a gun on school grounds, even when not on duty. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Judiciary Committee, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2155 - 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 (ISP) for school resource officers beginning with the 2020-21 school year. The bill passed unanimously with an amendment, which includes that local boards need to have a resolution annually to use ISP funding for school resource officers. The bill was referred to Ways and Means.

SF 2101 – Declaration of Independence - Requires every school district and accredited nonpublic school to display the first sentence of the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee 11-3, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2100 – Telehealth - Expands the opportunities for students to access mental health services in schools by offering parents/guardians access to services with a licensed professional mental health provider and to receive services through an electronic encounter in the school setting. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee, with an amendment to be considered when the bill is debated on the Senate floor.

SF 2066 – Concussion Care Providers - Adds occupational therapists to the definition of “licensed health care provider” for purposes of state law regarding concussion and brain injury policies for extracurricular interscholastic activities. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee with a 14-0 vote, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2041 – Physical Education Exemption for Show Choir - Allows a high school principal to excuse a high school student from the physical education requirement if the student is participating in show choir for at least the equivalent amount of time as is required for one-eighth unit of physical education. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee with an amendment to add marching band as an exemption. The bill is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2009 – Minor Driver’s License - Allows a special, minor driver's licensee, who attends public school, to travel to certain extracurricular activities provided that the distance between the origin and destination does not exceed 50 miles. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Transportation Committee, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 199 - Voluntary Diversity Plans – Strikes the use of voluntary diversity plans as a reason to deny open enrollment. The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee with a vote of 8-7, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

Bills that passed a House Committee and made it through the first funnel:

HSB 680 – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children - ​Provides for development and dissemination of a resource for parents/guardians of deaf or hard of hearing children. It also requires the Department to employ an Early Language Coordinator. The bill provides educators with tools which can be used to assess language and literacy development in English and American Sign Language. It establishes an advisory committee to solicit input on language development milestones in English and American Sign Language and requires the Department to annually compile and publish a report that is specific to language and literacy development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth to eight years of age. The bill passed the House Education Committee on a 22-0 vote. The bill is eligible for debate on the House floor with amendments to be considered.

HSB 666 – Modified Supplemental Amounts/At Risk and Drop-out - Provides a means for a district to submit a request for modified supplemental amount (MSA) to the School Budget Review Committee (SBRC). The SBRC will review the request and grant approval, provided the request does not exceed the amount allowed by statute. When previous legislation was passed, districts were allowed a higher cap, up to 5 percent, based on the spending levels in place at the time. This bill will provide districts who are at a MSA lower than 5 percent to submit a request to the SBRC. The bill passed in the House Education Committee on a vote of 22-0, with an amendment, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HSB 598 – Classroom Behavior/Room Clears – The bill was scheduled for two subcommittees in hopes of getting as much input as possible. The bill passed in the House Education Committee on a vote of 12-10. The Democrats who voted against the bill stated that they agree with the intent of the bill, but believe there is further work to be done, and they want to see how the bill progresses when it is debated on the House floor. There is the companion bill which passed in the Senate Education Committee with amendments, and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, where it passed as SF 2360, making it eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

The House and Senate are trying to incorporate input to make the bills as effective and beneficial as possible. Below are some of the key components of HSB 598. Amendments will likely be offered during the debates for both bills.

• Directs the Department to develop, establish, and distribute to school districts standards, guidelines, and expectations for the appropriate and inappropriate responses to behavior in the classroom that presents an imminent threat of bodily injury to a student or another person and for the reasonable, necessary, and appropriate physical restraint of a student.
• Defines a therapeutic classroom as a classroom and establishes grants for therapeutic classrooms.
• Creates a claims reimbursement process for transportation costs to a therapeutic classroom located more than 30 miles from the district of enrollment.
• Allows a teacher to clear a classroom if necessary to prevent or terminate an imminent threat of bodily injury to a student or another person in the classroom.
• Requires school personnel to contact parents if their child was part of a room clear, and prohibits identification of students either directly or indirectly involved in the event.
• If the student whose behavior caused the classroom clearance has an IEP, the classroom teacher will call for and be included in a reevaluation of the student’s IEP.
• Clarifies Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) language by striking “to the maximum extent possible” and replaces it with “consistent with LRE requirements under Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). It also includes language that states whenever appropriate, supports for special education students be provided in the inclusive classroom rather than separately.
• Requires a classroom teacher to report any alleged incident of violence or assault to the principal. Allows a teacher after two or more incidents to report the alleged incidents to the local school board.
• Provides immunity from civil or criminal liability and whistle-blower protections for school staff (teachers and administrators) who report incidents of violence or assault.
• Requires each school district to report to the Department an annual count of all instances of violence or assault by a student (in a school building, on school grounds or at a school-sponsored event) and to report any time a student is referred for the use of or transfer to a therapeutic classroom.

HSB 531 – Special Minor Driver’s License - Allows a person holding a special minor driver’s license who resides or works on a farm to drive during the hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the purpose of farm work as long as the destination is no more than 50 miles. The bill passed the House Agriculture Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2460 – Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) – Expands eligibility for participation in SWVPP to include children turning five years old on/after March 15 and on/before September 15 of the school year. The expansion of eligibility dates will create a time-frame within which some children may be eligible for both SWVPP and kindergarten enrollment. Local school districts would make local decisions as to how many children they would serve. Local school districts would also identify their criteria to be used for prioritizing enrollment; four year old participation should be prioritized. Children could participate in the preschool program for two years, as both a four year old and a five year old. Local programs are also required to assist parents in assessing a child's readiness for enrollment. This would not begin until July 1, 2021. The bill passed in the House Education Committee on a 15-7 vote, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2454 – State Accreditation Standards and Process - Provides additional options for instructors to meet the state accreditation standards by combining education and experience in the occupational area. The bill permits an instructor to teach career and technical education (CTE) classes at a community college if they possess an associate degree in the CTE field of instruction, and they have at least 3,000 hours of recent and relevant work experience in the area in which they plan to teach as well as allows an instructor if they possess a baccalaureate degree in any area and if at least 18 of the credit hours completed are in the CTE field in which the instructor teaches. The bill passed unanimously in the House Education Committee. Both HF 2454 and SF 2154 are eligible for debate on their respective floors.

HF 2443 – Senior Year Plus Proficiency Requirements - To enroll in college credit courses via concurrent enrollment or Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), a high school student must meet academic standards set by the postsecondary institution, which are the same for regularly-enrolled college students and high school students. Currently, high school students also have to be proficient at grade level in reading, math, and science to take any courses via concurrent enrollment. With the changes to the new Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) proficiency standards, many students will lose access to college credit courses. The bill would eliminate the state proficiency requirements for eligibility. Students would still be expected to meet all general college requirements, and if required, program specific entrance requirements. The bill passed in the House Education Committee on a vote of 22-1, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2419 - English Proficiency Weighting - Establishes two categories for weighting to support students with limited English proficiency into two categories. The bill defines both categories and assigns a supplementary weighting of 0.3 to emergent English Language Learners (ELL) and a supplementary weighting of 0.25 is assigned to progressing English-language learners. Currently the weighting for all ELL students is .22. The bill passed in the House Education Committee with a 21-2 vote, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2418 – School Budget Review Committee – Authorizes the Department to notify the BoEE if an error in reporting impacts an individual’s licensure experience. The notification from the Department certifying that a district error in a basic education survey within the last three years would have impacted an individuals’ licensure will be sufficient for the BoEE to correct any licensure experience based on incorrect information. The bill passed unanimously in the House Education Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2370 – Poverty Supplemental Work Group - Requires the Department to establish low-income students and poverty weighting work group. The membership is designated, and the work group is required to provide a report to the General Assembly by January 2021 outlining recommendations for new or modified funding methodologies. The bill passed with an amendment to add a stakeholder to the workgroup and eliminate inclusive language to funding. The bill passed the House Education Committee on a 20-2 vote, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2359 - 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. The bill also removes the admission test requirement. The bill passed unanimously in the House Education Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2340 – Iowa 529 Plans - Permits the use of Iowa 529 plan funds for certain beneficiaries to attend out-of-state elementary and secondary schools. The bill passed unanimously in the House Education Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2194 – Special Minor Driver’s License Minimum Age - Increases the minimum age for a special minor driver’s license to 15. The bill passed the House Transportation Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2169 – Stop the Bleed – Requires that one unit of health education will include bleeding control training. The bill passed in the House Education Committee on a 12-11 vote, making it eligible for debate on the House floor. There were Democrats who voted against the bill and stated it is not because they do not think the topic is important, rather, there are other topics that are equally important that could be included in health education.

HF 2120 - Suicide Prevention Protocols - Continues the requirements of SF 2113 passed during the 2018 legislative session, which required shool districts to adopt protocols and require school employee training relating to suicide prevention and postvention, identification of adverse childhood experiences, and strategies to mitigate toxic stress response.The bill adds a requirement for school districts to report to the Department annually the protocols that are being used in thier districts. The bill passed the House Education Committee on a 20-2 vote, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

SF 438 – Omnibus Bill - Makes changes to Iowa Code that pertain to school district responsibilities and authority, including dental, vision, and lead screening data collection and reporting. A subcommittee was held in the House, and legislators are awaiting an amendment that would direct the Iowa Department of Public Health to form a technology workgroup to determine needs of creating an electronic system to collect childhood screenings information. This bill passed in the Senate last year.

SF 316 - Special Education Interim Study Committee - Requires an Interim Study Committee to learn about special education state and federal requirements, IEPs, inclusion and LRE, teacher training, practices and strategies to best accommodate students with severe emotional, social and behavioral problems. The report is due December 18, 2020. The bill passed in the Senate last year. It passed the House Education Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

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