Cowles Montessori Crier
Week of January 18th
Cowles Montessori Vision
“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
Important Dates to Remember
Second Semester In-Person Hybrid/Virtual Schedule
- The second semester in-person (hybrid) and virtual schedules begin on Monday, January 25th
- Contact your teacher if you have questions about in-person (hybrid) and virtual learning for the second semester
Questions? Contact Cowles Montessori School
- Phone: 515-242-7818
- Email: Shannon Hines shannon.hines@dmschools.org
Second Semester Hybrid Schedule
Snacks for Cowles Teachers and Staff
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4FADA628A4F94-snacks
Please help us show our Cowles teachers and staff that we are thinking of them!
Febuary is one of the busiest months for our teachers, this year even more challenging due to Covid.
CMPG would like to set up a snack area, and we are asking for your help with donations of individually pagacked snack items. All items, with the exception of whole fruit must be individually packaged.
If you wish, we would love any type of home baked goods as well. Muffins, cookies, etc. Again, they items will need to be individually packaged.
Donations can be dropped at Nicole Williams home, 6415 Forest Ct, Windsor Hts. There will be totes left by gate. They can also be dropped at Jessica Hudson's home, 3601 Skyline Dr, DSM. A tote will be left near front door.
Please have all items dropped at either location by Monday, January 25th at 2pm.
Thank you for your continued help in supporting our Cowles staff!
Resources for MLK Day and Anti-Racism
Woke Kindergarten YouTube: MLK video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esS3XyuEDY
9 Meaningful MLK Jr. Activities
https://www.weareteachers.com/martin-luther-king-activities/
13 Books to Teach about MLK Jr.
MLK Jr. Book Collection via Epic!
https://www.getepic.com/collection/1825101/martin-luther-king-jr
Civil Rights: A Kid-Friendly Explainer video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT3EIKmKpaQ
From MLK to BLM: Teaching Tolerance
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/from-mlk-to-blacklivesmatter-a-throughline-for-young-students
Teach MLK in Connection With the Attack on the U.S. Capitol
Teaching the Radical Dr. King: A Revolution of Values
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKGBasRnhs7/?igshid=1j8iurak2ct26
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/revolution-of-values
Books to Share
- Digging into his "Letter from Birmingham"(https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-civil-liberties-and-civil-rights/us-gov-social-movements-and-equal-protection/v/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail)
- How MLK became a holiday and how long it took as it was not an overnight decision. It was a long process and if I remember right was not full finalized as a holiday in all states until 2000. (e-book attached)
- Let The Children March - book read aloud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnptqGnM4xQ
Be a Revolutionary!
Parents, guardians, & community members,
Please join the Community Legislative Action Team (CLAT) and Parents for Great Iowa Schools (P4GIS) in the #ForMySchool letter writing campaign. After years of underfunding and now enrollment loss due to Covid-19, our schools are facing unprecedented need.
If you value small class sizes, quality learning materials, and access to supports for students, your legislators need to hear from you. Do your kids attend a school with an International Baccalaureate (IB) program? Are you a community member who enjoys taking classes through the DMPS adult education program? If so, tell your legislators how much you value them. Without sufficient funding from the State of Iowa, districts will be forced to make very difficult budget decisions and programs like these could be on the chopping block.
Now is the time to take action. We will help! Grab a piece of paper, pen, envelope, stamp and your phone. Join us via Zoom for instructions on how to find your legislator, craft a quick message, and snap a "selfie" with your letter before dropping it in the mail. Post your photo on social media with #ForMySchool and tag your legislators and school district.
We've selected two dates for the letter writing parties. If you are not able to join on either date, we will post written or recorded guidance that you can reference at a more convenient time:
- Saturday, January 30th @ 9:00 AM https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84356865243?pwd=djhMRnVqK0R5akZOaUNDdVFtRGFSUT09
We are stronger when we work together. Let's use our community voice and send a message to the Capitol!
Iowa Legislative Update for 01/15/2021
The first session of the 89th General Assembly has begun.
Click here for a list of all legislators and here for both the House and Senate Education Committees. Governor Kim Reynolds delivered the Condition of the State address on January 12. She shared priorities in education which included in-person learning and school choice. She also identified work-based learning experiences as a priority. Here is a link to the full speech.
Senior Year Plus Proficiency Requirements - Requires a student to have demonstrated proficiency in reading, math, and science as evidenced by achievement scores on the latest administration of the statewide assessment. If a student is not proficient in one or more of the content areas, they can demonstrate proficiency through measures of college readiness jointly agreed upon by the school board and the postsecondary institution, and by other qualifying measures that may be established by the local school boards. The bill also establishes provisions for students who are receiving competent private instruction. The language passed the Senate last legislative session but did not make it to the House floor.
Open Enrollment Tuition Following the Student – Resolves as an issue that occurs when a student is open enrolled, moves to a different district prior to count date, and continues their open enrollment. The bill language changes “first district of residence” to the district that counts the student in its certified enrollment and ensures the billed district is the one that received funding for the student.
The remainder of bills are technical code corrections/clarifications:
Open Enrollment Billing for the District Providing the Prekindergarten Special Education Service – Provides a means for the serving district to bill the resident district for special education services. Adds prekindergarten special education pupils to the list for which notification for open enrollment is needed and makes corresponding amendment language changes to address the addition of this population of students.
Open Enrollment Adding a Good Cause Reason – Adds a change in a child’s residence that is not due to a change in family residence, guardianship, or custody proceeding to the list of “good cause” reasons for late filed open enrollment.
Child Development Assistance Duplicative Duties – Proposes to delete two duties that are duplicative of other efforts in the statewide early childhood system and is proposed at the request of the Child Development Coordinating Council.
Programs At-Risk Children - Allows area education agencies (AEAs) to provide technical assistance to Shared Visions grantees that are not school districts. Currently, they are limited to serving only districts. This expands the AEAs' ability to support quality programming and updates antiquated language.
Eliminates the Non Profit School Organization Report to the Department - Removes the requirement that districts report expenditures made by the school district on behalf of certain non profit school organizations to the Department and for the Department to include this information in its Annual Condition of Education Report. Districts have to seek out this information from other entities, as this information is not typically maintained by the districts.
Duties and Powers of AEA Board- Increases the dollar threshold for AEA capital projects requiring State Board of Education approval from $25,000 to $70,000.
Funding for Special Programs, Update Method of Calculation - Aligns to the current automated calculation process used by the Department. Current statute relating to the funding for special programs includes an outdated calculation method, which required a manual calculation by districts.
Renee Jerman
Legislative Liaison
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E 14th St
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
Cell: 515-729-0859
Office: 515-281-3399
renee.jerman@iowa.gov
The Heart of the Matter
Dear Cowles parents/guardians,
Are you feeling loneliness, fear, anger, anxiety or a sense of loss during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, you are not alone. Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and it’s normal to experience a wide range of emotions.
1. Iowa recently launched a service called COVID Recovery Iowa for those struggling with all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers access to counseling and other resources.
2. Looking for local mental health resources? Try Polk County Health Services.
3. Not quite ready to talk to others but still feeling a little overwhelmed sometimes? Try some of the helpful tips found here.
4. In search of other community resources? Call 211, download the app, or visit 211.iowa.org
5. There is also a new national campaign called COPING-19 that is aimed at raising awareness of mental health challenges and providing tips and resources to help people. Coping-19.org offers resources on many areas of struggle like anxiety, depression, isolation and financial uncertainty and so much more.
6. The CDC is another great resource because we all know that pandemics are stressful!
Coping with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.
It's ok to have a range of feelings, and it's okay to ask for help. We'll get through this together.
Other Reminders:
A yearly PRESCHOOL physical and dental exam are now due. These documents are needed for DMPS early childhood licensure. I have notified all parents/guardians who are still due so please check your email to see if you need to update your child’s health file. A big “thank you” to all of you who have turned in your child’s health forms this school year. I greatly appreciated it! If you have difficulty accessing or affording dental care for your child or family, please contact our community partner Dental Connections at 244-9136 or if you need help finding a healthcare provider, you may contact me either by email at ann.humphrey@dmschools.org or please feel free to call me at 515-242-7818. I am happy to help you.
DRESS FOR WINTER! Be ready to play every day! Outdoor play not only benefits your child’s mental, emotional and physical development but it’s fun! Children enjoy spending time outside in the snow especially this year. It is a nice break away from the computer. Please make sure your child has a warm coat, hat, mittens or gloves, snow pants, and boots for recess. In case your child gets wet, please bring extra pants, socks and underwear. Also, don’t forget to bring shoes or tennis shoes to wear in the classroom.
Please remember to notify us if anyone in your family tests positive for COVID-19 or is in quarantine. You can reach me by calling the main office at 515-242-7818 and leave a message or you may email me at ann.humphrey@dmschools.org and I will get back to you.
FREE MEALS/Special diets: Remember our school lunches are FREE until the end of the school year for ages 1-18 years old. No ID required. If you have a special diet, please contact Anita Turczynski, RDN, LD, DMPS Food Service Dietitian at 515-242-7636 and she is happy to help you.
Food Bank of Iowa: I am attaching this great resource for our Cowles Montessori School families. Our pick-up location is Meredith Reformed Church, 5128 Meredith Dr., Wed: 11:30a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Please see attached document for the other 13 locations located throughout the city.
Kindness Challenge: Do something nice for your neighbor. The Kindness Elves are challenging you this month to reach out to your neighbor. Research shows that acts of kindness impact not only the person who’s receiving it but also the person who’s giving it. It reduces levels of stress and stress hormones in our bodies, it improves our mood, and gives us a greater sense of purpose and well-being. It also can make us feel happier and connected to other people.
What are some examples of things you can do for your neighbors especially during the pandemic? You could send letters or messages, introduce yourself if you don’t know your neighbor or you could even reach out to your neighbors who may be lonely or isolated. Check out what these two kiddos did to brighten their neighbor’s day. HERE
In closing, one of my favorites, Kid President, honors the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. HERE.
Have a great week!
Be well! Stay safe!
Nurse Ann
Nurse Ann's Office Hours
If parents want to book an appointment time to speak with Nurse Ann, click on the link below:
DMPS Early Childhood and District Board Goals
Early Childhood Department/School Readiness Goals & Learning Targets – 2020-2021
- 85% of 4 year-olds will meet or exceed kindergarten readiness in the Literacy Domain of GOLD including concepts of print, alliteration, letter names and letter sounds.
- 80% of 4 year-olds will meet or exceed kindergarten readiness in the Math Domain of GOLD including counts, quantifies and connects numerals with quantities.
- 90% of 4 year-olds will meet or exceed kindergarten readiness in the Social/Emotional Domain of GOLD, follows limits and expectations.
District Board Goals
LITERACY
- Goal 1: The percent of all third grade students on track in reading will increase from 52% to 72% by June 2023, as measured by FAST.
- Goal 2: The percent of black male third grade students on track in reading will increase from 35% to 72% by June 2023, as measured by FAST.
ALGEBRA
- Goal 3: The percent of black male students earning a ‘B’ or higher in Algebra 1 by the end of 9th grade will increase from 17% to 35% by August 2023.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
- Goal 4: A goal will be developed once a baseline measure for social emotional learning is determined.
Cowles Montessori School Improvement Goal
Goal 1: The percent of all third through eighth grade students proficient and/or on track for college and career readiness in math will increase from 81% to 85% by Spring of 2023 as measured by state assessments:
- By 2020 - 82%
- By 2021 - 83%
- By 2022 - 84%
- By 2023 - 85%
Contact Cowles Montessori
Email: shannon.hines@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
