CommuniCatorthe Celebrating the Iowa City Community School District

January 2015 ~ Volume 82

Grant Wood AEA UpdatesTo read the latest issue of the

Grant Wood AEA’s The Linker click the following link:

Professional DevelopmentThe Professional Development

calendar is housed on the District website under the Curriculum

Department. You will need to be logged in to Edline to view the

calendar.www.edline.net/pages/ICCSD/

Departments/Curriculum

Forgot your code? Feel free to contact Lisa Mattingly at mattingly.lisa@iccsd.k12.ia.us

for that information.

Send items for The Communicator by email to Kristin Pedersen at pedersen.kristin@iowacityschools.org

Latest MindMixer

Topic:Make sure to check out the latest Engage Iowa City Schools topic.

Join the conversation at: www.engageiowacityschools.org

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board MeeTingS

FaciliTieS MaSTer Planning

inSTagraM

Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant The Iowa Department of Education has accepted the recommendation from the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation to approve the Iowa City Community School District Teacher Leader-ship and Compensation (TLC) plan for the 2015-16 school year. The TLC grant will generate approximately 4 million dollars in new revenue for the Dis-trict to support teacher leadership positions across the District. The TLC grant is designed to provide effective teachers with leadership opportunities and assists in helping attract promising new teachers to the District while helping retain high quality staff. The over-all goal of the grant is to help raise student achievement by providing these growth op-portunities for District teachers. Through the system, teacher leaders take on extra respon-sibilities, including helping colleagues analyze data and fine tune instructional strategies as well as coaching and co-teaching.Bipartisan legislation created a four-year process to fully develop the statewide Iowa Teacher Leadership and Compensation System, with the goal of all school districts voluntarily participating by the 2016-17 school year.

According to the Iowa Dept. of Education, “the goals of the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System are:

• Attract able and promising new teachers by offering com-petitive starting salaries and offering short-term and long-term professional development and leadership opportunities.

• Retain effective teachers by providing enhanced career opportunities.

• Promote collaboration by developing and supporting opportunities for teachers in schools and school districts statewide to learn from each other.

• Reward professional growth and effective teaching by providing pathways for career opportunities that come with increased leadership responsi-bilities and involve increased compensation.

• Improve student achievement by strengthening instruction.”

GWAEA The Linker

iowacityschools.org

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IHSSA 2015 State Debate Results On January 10th, City and West student debaters took part in the 2015 IHSSA State Debate tournament held in Ankeny, IA. City High Junior Joseph Weideman and sophomore Adam Zabner clinched the state title on a 3-0 decision. The team’s overall tournament record was 7-1, and they were the 5th and 6th speakers respectively. Senior Elias Holman and Keryk Kuiper were also Semi-Finalists at the tournament. The team’s overall record was 5-2. They were the tournament’s 7th and 8th speakers respectively. West High rounded out the tournament with run-ners-up Audrey Hopewell and Pranav Krishnamurthy, Semifinalists Lauren Ernst and Lauren Knudson, and Quarterfinalists Layla Siddig, Wingel Xue, Kai Trepka, Ethan Trepka, Colin Waldron and Annie Chen. The 10-student 2015 IHSSA All State Debate Team was completely dominated by Iowa City students with Adam Zabner, Joseph Weideman, Elias Holman, and Keryk Kuiper representing City High and Layla Siddig, Kai Trepka, Audrey Hopewell, Lauren Knudson, Colin Waldron and Spencer Roetlin representing West High! Congratulations!

Grant Wood 5th/6th Grade Anthem Choir Check out this powerful performance of the National Anthem by the Grant Wood Elementary 5th/6th grade Anthem Choir at last Friday night’s City High boys basketball game! Led by General and Adaptive Music Teacher Rebecca Ogilvie, the choir is unique to Grant Wood, as is their arrangement of the National Anthem, subtitled “Many Nations Under One”, which infuses Spanish, Portuguese, French and Swahili.

tech

cornerDid You Know? Many software titles that previously required installation by a technician can now be installed automatically upon request. Instructions can be found at http://goo.gl/MOgMEf.

City High Music Fundraiser Helps Area Food Bank Thirty seven cases of fresh fruit were delivered to the Food Bank at the Crisis Center of Johnson County, courtesy of the City High Music Department. During its annual fruit sales fundraiser this fall, buyers were given the option to purchase fruit and donate it to the Food Bank. “We are so grateful for the generosity of parents and music supporters in this first year, we are hopeful that it will only grow in years to come. It was a fantastic collaborative effort between the Iowa City High Music Department, Table to Table and the Crisis Center Food Bank,” said Patti Fields, co-president of Band Asso-ciates of City High (BACH), the school’s band parent group. Fresh produce is among the foods in highest demand at the Food Bank, according to Sarah Benson Witry, Crisis Center Food Bank & Emergency Assistance Di-rector. “Especially in the middle of winter, the oppor-tunity for moms to put a fresh orange in their child’s lunch box or enjoy a grapefruit for breakfast is both nutritious and gratifying.” The Crisis Center serves more than 1,000 families each week.

Hartwig Named Regional Coach of the Year Congratulations to West High Football coach Garrett Hartwig on being named Regional Coach of the Year by the Iowa High School Football Yearbook. Pictured is Coach Hartwig (center) with his coaching Staff.

Niche School Rankings The 2015 Niche Rankings for the nation’s best high schools ranked the Iowa City Community School Dis-trict’s two high schools as among the five best in Iowa! Iowa City West ranked in the number one spot and City High landed in the number five spot. Best Pub-lic High Schools ranks 14,431 high schools based on dozens of key statistics and 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents. A high ranking indicates that the school is an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experience very highly. Congratulations to both West and City on this fantastic accomplishment! In addition, Wickham Elementary has been recog-nized as the 5th best elementary school in the state by the 2015 Niche rankings. Hoover Elementary was ranked 16th, Weber Elementary was ranked 22nd, Lin-coln Elementary was ranked 44th and Lemme Elemen-tary was ranked 85th. Congratulations! For the complete list, visit https://k12.niche.com/rankings/.

Iowa City Community SchoolsSustainability Program

SUstainabilitY TiP:Remind students throughout the year to use the paper, can, and plastic recycling bins in classrooms and in the school. Having those bins available is great, but is only helpful if they are actually used.

newsLINKSIPERS IS COMING TO YOUR AREA. HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON

IOWA RIVER LANDING921 E. 2ND AVENUE

CORALVILLE, IA 52241

Monday 4/27/15 – Thursday 4/30/15

To schedule, call the IPERS office 1-800-622-3849

Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM

SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS ONLYAppointments are limited to 30 minutes.

Links to District-related stories currently in the news.

Iowa City High School hosts hitting facility grand opening

More than 67K raised for pediatric cancer at West High's Dance Marathon

Beaming young artists get their day in the sun

Diversity policy rescinded by Iowa City board

School board approves 2 calendars

YOU ...A HealthySimple Tips for Overall Health & Wellness

Dr. Oz’s Top 10 Health & Fitness Tips of All TimeShape Magazine (October 2012)

Oct. 20-Nov. 8, 201420-Day Health Challenge

Sponsored by Title Boxing Club

October 23, 2014Staff Wellness Fair: NWJH

January 2015 and June 2015District Blood Drives

Feb. 24-Mar. 13, 2015Staff Health Assessments

(multiple locations across District)

Apr. 6-May 3, 20152nd Annual Step Challenge, Sponsored by Core Fitness

1. Get Strong, Not Skinny. “Illness or injury may often be the instigator, but frailty is what kills us”, says Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon. Our bodies can’t recover as well if we’re not strong, which is why he recommends a balanced workout plan that includes strength, cardio, and flexibility training. This doesn’t mean you need to spend hours in the gym each week. The busy doctor has no problem fitting in his seven-minute workout every morning, which he says is better for you than the occasional hour-long gym session. And you can say goodbye to boring treadmill sessions. Instead, Dr. Oz suggests getting a basic pedometer and setting a goal of 10,000 steps per day (that’s about five miles) to stay slim and healthy.

2. Cut Out the White Stuff. The easiest way to lose weight and improve your health? Ditch the white stuff! Most white foods (bread, rice, pasta, sugar, flour) are primarily made up of refined carbs and empty calories, so cutting them out of your diet is one of the quickest ways to shed pounds and improve your well-being, Dr. Oz says. There are a few exceptions to the rule, including egg whites, cauliflower, and fish, he says. Those are the only white foods you should have on hand.

3. Bring on the Broccoli. “Broccoli is the best produce option because it cleanses the liver and helps to fight cancer,” he says. To reap the most rewards, the doctor suggests cleaning and slicing cruciferous veggies (like broccoli) five to 10 minutes before cooking, and then steaming or microwaving them (instead of boiling) to help retain the most cancer-fighting compounds.

4. Get Your Daily Dose of D. “New research says that vitamin D may play a crucial role in weight loss by controlling appetite and helping fat cells become more metabolically active,” Dr. Oz says. The sunshine vitamin also helps your body better absorb bone-boosting calcium, improves immunity, reduces inflam-mation, and may even protect against some forms of cancer. Nearly 75 percent of Americans are vitamin-D deficient, so there’s a good chance you’re not getting your recommended daily dose of 400 IU .

5. Drink More Water. Drinking water is so imperative for staying healthy, energized, and even losing weight. There are so many reasons to stay hydrated - hunger is often disguised as thirst, it boosts your me-tabolism, and water is the best energy drink available, he says. How much water should you be drinking? Divide your body weight (in pounds) by two and aim to drink that many ounces of water every day.

6. Trade Supplements for Tea. Drinking all-natural green tea is an excellent way to boost your weight loss and your health. Not only does it have the power to stoke your metabolism, but it also contains the highest concentration of catechins, antioxidants found in plants that have been found to protect against heart disease and even some cancers.

7. Focus on Nutrients, Not Calories. While the amount of calories you consume is crucial for weight loss, the quality of your food is often more important. “Losing weight isn’t all about cutting calories. Your brain is looking for nutrients, not calories, and [your brain] will prod you to eat until you’re satisfied,” says Dr. Oz, who cites a recent landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “After adjusting for age, baseline body mass index, and lifestyle factors such as exercise and sleep duration, the authors found that the foods most associated with adding pounds over a four-year period were French fries, potato chips, sugary drinks, meats (unprocessed red meat and processed meats), sweets, and refined grains; the foods most associated with shedding pounds were yogurt, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.”

8. Delay Dessert. You don’t need to completely eliminate dessert, just try not to indulge immediately after dinner. “Avoid sweets directly after a meal since sugar disrupts the absorption of nutrients,” Dr. Oz says. The best time for a sweet treat is about two hours after you finish your meal. And when it comes to what you eat, try the good doctor’s go-to dessert: dark chocolate.

9. Sleep More to Slim Down. According to Dr. Oz, depriving your body of sleep can speed up the aging process and deter your weight-loss efforts. “The brain craves carbohydrates when you’re tired, so you could unknowingly sabotage even the best laid plans,” he says. Aim for a good seven hours (minimum) of shuteye every night to allow your body to restore and to protect vital organ functions.

10. Make Breakfast Mandatory. “Skipping the first meal of the day can increase risk for obesity more than fourfold,” Dr. Oz says. “If you don’t eat right when you wake up, your body senses a famine is coming and slows your metabolism to compensate. Then, when your body is presented with food later, it’s ravenous and wants to pack it in, leading to bingeing with a slow metabolism—a recipe for weight gain.”

The Iowa City Community School District Shine Award honors employees who go above and beyond for the students and schools in our community. Honorees positively influence, inspire, and leave a lasting impact in

the work that they do every day, helping to fulfill the overall District mission. District employees will be selected and honored throughout the school year to receive this prestigious honor.

Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, District employees, businesses, or community members at any time by visiting www.iowacityschools.org.

December recipients include:Mary Gauthier Principal Secretary, BorlaugKarla Koenig Secretary, City High

Mary Gauthier

Karla Koenig