Leader in Me Success Story

Janesville CSD has chosen to follow the Leader in Me program because we believe everyone has the ability to be a leader. Each person has unique strengths and can make a contribution in and out school by sharing those strengths. Being a leader is not about being popular or holding a position; it’s about using your strengths and encouraging others to use theirs.

The 7 Habits are the road map to become a leader. They are life skills you can use on the playground, in sports, with friends, at home, at school, and in the future. Each of the 7 Habits will help you grow, serve, and inspire today, tomorrow and as an adult.

Recently, Lennon, a 4th grade leader at Janesville CSD was highlighted by Leader Valley as part of their Stories of Success. Through Leader in Me, Lennon has overcome school-related anxiety and developed the confidence and resilience she needs to achieve her goals.

"Leader in Me has provided Lennon with opportunities to utilize and grow her leadership skills. It has developed a determination in her to become the best version of herself." - Heather Howland, Janesville Student Lighthouse Facilitator.

Click on the link below to hear more about Lennon’s Leader in Me journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OQa8DyBym4

Ryken Takes Seat on School Board

The first JCSD school board meeting since the election is set to take place tonight and newly elected member, Christy Ryken will be sworn in. Christy is no stranger to the Janesville community but we wanted to take a moment to introduce her.

Christy’s connection to this community runs deep, as she is not only a former graduate of Janesville High, but also a proud parent of two students currently attending Janesville CSD. Over the years she has witnessed the unique strengths of our community, and she firmly believes that our school plays a pivotal role in nurturing the potential of our youth and preparing them to become responsible, informed citizens.

While serving as the President of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for eight years, Christy has had the privilege of working closely with teachers, parents, and administrators to enhance the quality of education and extracurricular activities. This experience has allowed her to gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that our school district faces. It has also reinforced her unwavering commitment to the well-being of our students and the continued improvement JSCD.

Christy’s vision for the school district is rooted in her deep-seated belief that every student deserves access to an excellent education that not only equips them with academic skills but also helps them develop into compassionate, responsible, and civic-minded individuals. She is dedicated to fostering a safe and engaging learning environment where each student can thrive and reach their full potential. By working collaboratively with parents, teachers, administrators, and the broader community, she believes the school can address the unique needs of our students and ensure they are well-prepared for the challenges of the future.

In addition to her commitment to educational excellence, Christy also places a high priority on continuing the good fiscal stewardship within our school district. Christy states, “My service in helping pass the last school bond vote helped me better understand that responsible financial management is not only about the present but also about securing a bright educational future for our community. As a school board candidate, I am dedicated to making prudent decisions that allocate resources efficiently while prioritizing the needs of our students and educators. I aim to uphold the trust that our community places in our school district, ensuring that every dollar is invested wisely and that our schools remain accessible to and sustainable for future generations of students.”

Christy also expressed her enthusiasm for the opportunity to serve on the school board in our community. She feels a deep sense of responsibility to contribute to the betterment of our educational system.

“Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our children and the prosperity of our community. I look forward to the opportunity to serve our community as a school board member and work collaboratively to create a brighter future for all,” remarks Ryken.

Friendsgiving: A New Tradition at Janesville

According to Merriam-Webster, the earliest use of the term Friendsgiving dates back to 2007. Friendsgiving is about celebrating existing friendships and making new ones. Traditionally, friends bring a variety of dishes, sides, and desserts to share while engaging in games and activities.

This year, several classes at JCSD participated in Friendsgiving. The kindergarten classes came together as a community and enjoyed their first Friendsgiving. Kindergarten teach Kaitlin Beaumont states, “It was just a community building activity that Molly and I wanted to do so that the two kindergartens could spend time together and eat a meal as a group.”

The students also made paper bag turkey costumes. The teachers would like to give a shoutout to Fareway for the donation of paper bags.

The students in Mr. Ludwig’s 3rd grade class also enjoyed a Friendsgiving. The array of food was prepared and brought in by Mr. Ludwig’s parents.

These Friendsgiving feasts are just another example of how teachers at JCSD are building community in their classrooms and providing opportunities to forge strong friendships.

Staff Shortages Plague JCSD

Like other schools across the state of Iowa, Janesville CSD is facing staff shortages. Data collected from School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) indicates several recurring issues and concerns within the education system. The SAI survey shared that there were over 500 open teaching positions in rural schools at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year and additional 600 positions filled with not fully qualified teachers. The report goes on to state, “Schools are facing challenges in finding and retaining qualified teachers, leading to vacancies and understaffed classrooms. 

The shortage not only affects teaching positions but also extends to support staff, bus drivers, and substitute teachers.” Janesville CSD is no exception. It is not uncommon to have multiple teachers out of the building every day. According to Dean Wendy Paterson of SUNY Buffalo State, “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, substitute teacher shortages have increased to the level that 20 percent of the requests for substitutes are unfilled.” These unfilled teacher absences can cripple student achievement. Schools struggle to fill these teacher absences by moving students to other classes, pulling in other school personnel to cover for the absent teacher, or moving students to the gym, cafeteria, or library. These options are less than ideal. 

That is why we need you. If you have ever considered helping in the school, now is the time. There are many reasons to become a substitute teacher. Substitute teaching is a remarkably rewarding and worthwhile career path for people in many different walks of life. As a sub, you get to work with children, set your own schedule, and experience many different opportunities in education.

As one high school science teacher says, “These are kids that need extra preparation, extra care, extra attention, just because of the world that they’re facing, but also they’re our future leaders. They’re the future scientists, they’re the future nurses and doctors, they’re the future, everything. And we need to be really tender and cautious and careful and protective over education because not only does this shape their minds, it shapes who they’re going to be as people.” 

Fortunately, you can help. Anyone with an associate's degree or 60 semester hours or higher and the completion of an approved substitute authorization course can substitute teach. For more information on substitute teaching authorization and licensure, contact the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners at 515-281-3245.

Iowa School Report Card

The Department of Education released the Iowa School Report Card last week, and here are the results…Both the elementary and the secondary school received commendable ratings! 

JCSD Elementary has moved from acceptable to commendable and the overall score is above the state average.  We have maintained 100% of students in 3rd-5th grade who took the state test.  Areas of improvement include: Average school achievement in English Language Arts, Average school achievement in Mathematics, Growth in Mathematics, Growth in ELA, Proficiency in Math, and Proficiency in ELA. We showed academic growth and proficiency in both math and English Language Arts are above the state average. 

Our secondary grades, which are made up of middle and high school, also increased the overall school performance score and maintained a commendable rating. Areas of improvement include: Assessment participation increased slightly to get to 100%, Average school achievement in ELA, Average school achievement in Math, Growth in ELA, Percent proficient ELA, Percent proficient in Math, and Postsecondary readiness. Academic growth and proficiency in both math and English Language Arts are above the state average. 

You can read more about our school and the report card in general by following the links below.

https://www.iaschoolperformance.gov/ECP/StateDistrictSchool/DistrictSummary?k=8692&y=2023

https://www.iaschoolperformance.gov/ECP/Home/UserGuide

Speech Club Builds Good Communicators

The Iowa High School Speech Association believes "good communicators equal great citizens.” In October, the IHSSA held its 51st Annual Speech Coaches Convention and JCSD speech coaches Katie Johnson and Kimberly Cavalier had the opportunity to attend. Their goal was to gain more skills as speech coaches.

This is Coach Cavalier’s second year as a coach and it is Coach Johnson’s first. JCSD offers Large Group and Individual events. The most popular events that students like to participate in are short film, group improvisation, prose interpretation, and storytelling, just to name a few examples. Altogether, there are 10 Large Group events and 13 Individual events available for students.

The coaches attended a class for novice coaches to help build the program, a keynote address entitled Communication as Connection: How Our Stories Shape Us, and breakout sessions that focused on writing or finding performance pieces for each event.

Coach Cavalier states, “I would say my main takeaway from the event is how valuable speech can be for every kid! For so many kids, speech is a fun, low pressure activity where they can come hang out with friends and express their creativity. I think it is so important for adolescents to have that space, whether they see themselves going into a creative field in the future or not.”

Cross Country Competes as a Team,

For the first time in a long time, JCSD cross country fielded a FULL high school boys team. The team consisted of: Ethan Hjelmeland (senior), Alex Oltmann (senior), Seth Gregorsok (freshman), Aidan Little (freshman), and Jason Westendorf (freshman).

There were also 5 middle school athletes who crushed it this year. They include: Maggie Heidemann (8th), Izzy Foelske (8th), Noah Gansen (8th), Nicolas DeHart (7th), and Kayla Cox (7th).

The season brought many highlights. Coach Molly Ludwig would like to give recognition to a few members…special shoutout to Seth Gregorsok for the team's best time so far this season, which he ran at conference with a 20:55, special shoutout to Aidan Little for starting the year with a 36:00 3.1 mile race, and last week beating his goal of breaking 30:00 and running a 29:03, and special shoutout to the 2 senior leaders for leading the way at every single practice, including a few practices on the trails where they ran 5+ or 6+ miles. At the conference meet, every high schooler had a Season Best time (PR), and 3 of them (the freshman) were all lifetime best runs for a 5k.

The middle school cross country team had several highlights as well. During a middle school meet we had 4 out of the 5 runners PR for their 2 mile race, and all 5 placed in the top 10. At conference, all 3 middle school girls placed in the top 10 and received ribbons.

Coach Ludwig states, “Team highlights are harder to breakdown because even though we're scoring points as a team, we're not exactly winning meets... So a celebration there is just that we've been able to score points as a team at every single meet so far this year!”

An Honor to Serve

As school board elections draw near, there is one name that won’t be on the ballot. After 20 years of service, Barb Reid is stepping down.

JCSD has always been a part of Barb’s life.  Her father served as superintendent and her mother taught at the school while Barb was a child.  She had been involved with the school through the Booster Club and other organizations. Barb’s son had just graduated and her daughter was still in school.  At the time, Barb chose to run because there was talk of merging with another district and she wanted to see if there were other options available for JCSD.

Barb says her greatest accomplishment is the passage of the 2018 General Obligation Bond which funded 12 classrooms (2 preschool, 4 elementary, 3 middle school and 3 high school), a new band room, a new competition gymnasium with locker rooms, new parking lot, new roof for the 1974 addition, and addressed air quality issues throughout the school.  Barb credits the community and the many people who gave their time for this project.

Barb hope new/future board members won’t be afraid to ask questions. She wants them to be open to new ideas and understand they aren’t going to learn all they need to know overnight.

“It has been an honor to serve on the Board for the last 20 years and I look forward to seeing JSCD continue long into the future,” remarks Barb Reid.

Collaboration at its Finest

Last week, two grades collaborated on a lesson taught during library class with Mrs. Sandlin. The 4th grade students taught the 1st grade students how to use online encyclopedias and helped them research animals using Encyclopedia Britannica and PebbleGo.  The first graders benefited tremendously from the older students' guidance as they developed their skills in using varied research resources to gather information. 

In the previous weeks, the 1st graders had researched animals with books and cited the information with title, author, and page number.  Now they are recording the article title and the online source where they found the article along with the details they learned.  As the 4th graders teach the 1st graders, they are becoming more ready for an upcoming research unit about extreme weather that will include selecting reliable sources, evaluating the reliability and usefulness of information within their sources, synthesizing information through research with multiple resources, and crediting their sources as they communicate their learning.

Mrs. Sandlin states, “Library activities like this one are a valuable part of the information literacy progression towards more formal research projects in the future years of their academic careers and generally using reliable electronic resources to get information in daily life.” 

JCSD Students Shine at Waterloo Career Center

JCSD high school students have the opportunity to take classes at the Waterloo Career Center. Programs offered range from culinary, trades, health careers, education, IT and more. We currently have several students enrolled in the IT program. They recently shd the opportunity to participate in a service activity in which they helped New Aldaya Lifescapes residents problem solve with technology.  Residents loved the students' visit. In addition, Derek Haurum was selected as the WCC Cyber Student of the Month!

Another outstanding recognition belongs to Jack Lindaman. He was nominated and subsequently selected for the 2023 National Cyber Signing Day event which will be at the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference in Phoenix, AZ on December 4th.  The event will celebrate students who are “signing on” to cybersecurity careers. The celebratory festivities will include cheerleaders, mascots, an emcee, teachers, and state and national dignitaries to welcome students on stage to "sign on" for a future career in cyber security.

Congratulations to Marshall, Blake, Derek, and Jack for being such awesome representatives for Janesville!

Servo is Here to Serve

Therapy dogs in schools aren’t a new concept, but it is new to JCSD. This year, JCSD added therapy dog, Servo, to its staff.

Mrs. Hamil took a ceramics class once where there was a therapy dog. She felt it was a “cool experience to have something that interacted with us that wasn’t a human.” This is where the idea blossomed. The Hamil family recently bought a golden doodle puppy. His name is Servo Blue Cheese Hamil. His great demeanor lead Mrs. Hamil to believe he would make a great therapy dog. After intensive training at a Board Learn Train program in Decorah, he is now a CGC certified therapy dog that now spends his days at JCSD.

A typical day starts with a walk through the halls where Servo greets students and staff. He then returns to the art room and hangs out there the rest of the day. At the dismissal, he walks the halls again to greet students and staff.

According to owner Natalie Hamil, “Students and staff seem to LOVE having Servo at school. If he is not at school, students are bummed. Some students and staff come to the art room to come see him during their break times. There are even have a few students who are getting to spend more time with him through rewards and sensory breaks. Servo has been a really awesome addition to the room. Students seem to be more calm and quiet. Servo is still a puppy as well- so he really likes to play still! A couple students are earning “vest free” times with him where Servo gets to run and play a little more free outside! “

Recent studies suggest that school therapy dogs can reduce stress and boost academic engagement. Mrs. Hamil states, “Dogs don’t have words, just unconditional judgment free love. It’s pretty great to experience, especially in an art room.”

JCSD Girl Scouts Work Toward Bronze Award

Girl Scout Juniors in fifth and sixth grade comprise troop #2604. They recently completed a project to work towards their Bronze Award. The Bronze Award is one of the highest awards in Girl Scouts. The award is earned by completing a project that benefits the community. The girls installed benches around two trees in the front of the school and it is their hope that these benches will provide seating for those waiting before and after school as well as for classes that wish to work outdoors.

Through the project, the girls learn leadership, work with people in their community, build confidence, and develop skills—all while making the world a better place.

2nd Grade Attends National Cattle Congress

The National Cattle Congress celebrated its 113th fair this year and second graders from JCSD had the opportunity to attend.

The students were able to visit the many agricultural exhibits included in the National Cattle Congress fair. Exhibits include tractor pulls, llama shows, a dairy exhibit, the Hall of Breeds, animal exhibits, a petting zoo and much more.

Lighthouse Team Proposes New Playground Equipment

On Wednesday, May 24, the 3rd grade lighthouse group (Amelia Johnson, Alex Trulson, and Jase Norton) went to present at Fidelity Bank to gain financial support for a playground project.  The students would like to add a spider climber to the current playground to provide additional equipment for the growing student body as well as create an appealing atmosphere. The representatives of the bank plan to take the project proposal to their marketing team and also suggested the group reach out to the Legion and the Lion's Club. The Lighthouse team also plans to ask for donations from the Janesville PTA and Booster Club as well as hosting fundraisers such as bake sales and popcorn sales. The spider climber costs about $18,000 plus an additional $2000 to get the playground ready.

Leader Mrs. Pugh states, “This is one of my favorite parts of serving in this role - providing opportunities for students to lead and watching them make their ideas and dreams for our school become a reality!” She also said the kids did an amazing job on their presentation and got to learn a little more about what happens at the bank. 

To celebrate, the group stopped at Kwik Star on the way back to school for a donut or a piece of fruit.

May Day Baskets Bring Joy

The fourth grade Lighthouse group, led by Mrs. Molly Ludwig, handed out May Day Baskets to the community. This group wanted to do something special for the service groups in our community: Police, Firefighters, First Responders, City Hall, and Lions Club.

Mrs. Ludwig shares, “We put together simple boxes, decorated them, and handed them out to share some spring joy and show our appreciation for their service to our Janesville community!”

“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.” - Morgan Freeman

Country Potluck

The JCSD Sociology class was tasked with job of choosing a different county and researching to learn about the values, traditions, similarities and differences from the United States. The students chose countries from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and some smaller ones not as commonly thought of.

Teacher Ms. Logsdon states, “They did an amazing job and the last part of the project was to create their own food to represent their country! It was such a fun day.”

Each student prepared food to share with the class. The food was delicious and students left with full bellies. Ms. Logsdon hopes that the students learned to appreciate other cultures.

Rain or Shine

On Saturday, May 6th, the Janesville Honor Society hosted its 4th annual 5k Run/Walk. With the help of local sponsors (North Iowa Counseling, Modern Builder, Tim and Mikes, 319 Nails, Vector Daze, Kwik Star, and Lumber Yard) the event was a success. There was a bit of a setback due to the uncooperative weather, but that didn't stop the runners from waiting patiently.

Stories were exchanged by veteran runners. One gentleman shared that before the pandemic he would participate in 45-50 marathon and 5k races every year. He shared some of the extreme weather conditions he endured while participating…he wasn't afraid of a little rain.

Once the thunder and lighting subsided, and the rain was more subtle, the JHS students were ready to get the ball rolling for the runners. The race finally kicked off at 8:45 am. At 20:08.21 the first runner crossed the finish line. The race was finished within 55 minutes and 27 seconds.

The Honor Society hosted 26 runners, including our former Honor Society advisor, Nolan Hovland. The students hope to have more participants next year. Honor students have already started planning the 2024 5K and will have more details to come at the beginning of the 23'-24' school year. 

Which Dog Are You?

This semester, the sophomores at JCSD have been participating in a leadership training led by school counselor, Chad Angel, and a few seniors. The group met a few times a month to read and discuss The Positive Dog.

The story is about a negative mutt named Matt and a big dog named Bubba who teaches him how to feed himself with positivity each day. In the process, Matt transforms his own life and the shelter they call home.

The moral of the story: we all have two dogs inside of us…one that is positive, happy, optimistic, and hopeful, and one dog that is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic, and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most!

Author Jon Gordon states, “The Positive Dog is an inspiring, heartwarming story that not only reveals the strategies and benefits of being positive but also an essential truth for humans: Being positive doesn't just make you better. It makes everyone around you better."

Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for the environment. It was first held on April 22, 1970 and each year, people around the world participate in activities such as picking up litter and planting trees to help make our planet a healthier, happier place to live. Janesville CSD ran an early dismissal schedule to allow all students the opportunity to participate in the festivities. Pictured below are students doing their part to protect our planet.

Thank You School Board

The Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) invites communities to celebrate and thank their local school board members during School Board Recognition Month, which runs May 1-31.

"School board members serve to make a difference for students and ensure they have the building blocks needed for future success. They are committed to student achievement first and foremost-but also tend to the foundational elements, such as the budget, policies, and district culture to make informed decisions impacting the entire community. Please join me throughout the month of May in thanking these board members," said IASB Board President Liz Brennan. 

School Board members volunteer countless hours on board work each month. They don’t receive compensation but they enjoy helping students prepare for the future.

Please extend a sincere “thank you” to the current JCSD school board members for their dedication to the school and community.

President - Barb Reid (21 years)

Vice-President - Tracy Meyer (14 years)

Teresa Gergen (10 years)

Jodi Durnil (8 years)

Scott Kipp (2 years)