CHARGERSNovember 2016

VAN BUREN

Personal Best, Active Listening, Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness

From Mr. RyanIn the last newsletter I shared good news

about our attendance (over 96% daily at-tendance average) and student behavior (a decrease in of�ce referrals compared to last year. Now I have even better news to share with you - our Fall reading data is up signi�-cantly over last fall!  

We use a test called FAST three times a year to check where kids are with their reading.  Kids take different parts of the test depending on the grade they are in.  In the fall, grades 2-6 take a part called CBM; it’s basically a test of how quickly and accurately students can read and predicts later reading success. Last Fall, 48% of our students were pro�cient on it. This year, we are up to 58%. Fantastic!

Students in grades 1-6 also take a part called aReading. It’s basically a test of com-prehension and vocabulary and 48% of our students were pro�cient on it last year.  This year, we are up to 62%.

Just as exciting is that our English Lan-guage Learner (ELL) students are also im-proving.  Last year, 33% were pro�cient on the Fall aReading test.  When we look at the students who are in the ELL program this year and add in the students who were recently exited from the program, we are up to 49%.

It’s an exciting time to be a Van Buren Charger!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kent Ryan558-3548

Kindergarten The kindergarten classes recently enjoyed read-

ing the book “Duck For President” and then hosted a school wide presidential voting booth! Students K through 5 were given the opportunity to choose the candidate that they thought would do their personal best as the new president. After the school voted, kindergarten students used their math skills to count all of the votes, and talked about the concepts of greater and less while comparing the results! It gave the students a wonderful chance to participate in a community activity at the elementary school level!

Follow the District on , @crschools, and

Calendar of EventsNov 23-25 ..........................Thanksgiving Holiday BreakDec 2 December ...................................Birthday PartiesDec 12 .................Fire Department Visit – 3rd Grade PMDec 16 ...........................................Van Buren Pride DayDec 21 ....................................... Winter Parties 3:10 PMDec 22-Jan 2 ................................Winter Holiday BreakJan 3 ......................................First Day of Classes 2017

Fifth Grade Students Paint a Plow

Six students were invited b Mrs. Nus, art teach-er, to paint a plow blade for the City of Cedar Rap-ids. Keily Cruz-Perez, Tayt Lucas, Kimberly Mullin, Joseph Ramirez,  Eli Simmons and Natalie Voshell , all �fth-grade students, worked on the plow after school on November 2nd. “Dig it Up” was the caption that the students chose to go with their Snoopy and Linus (Peanuts characters) themed artwork. When the snow and ice begin to �y this winter, watch for our plow around the streets of Van Buren! 

4th Grade HappeningsStudents have started to focus on strategies for

double digit multiplication and division. The students have also been working hard to cite evidence from the text in order to prove their answers. In our science unit, we have been investigating different types of systems and understanding how different parts of a system work together. We have kept a close eye on our red worm ecosystem. We’ve also spent some time talking about the election and even voted. Earlier the 4th grade had the opportunity to visit Jefferson and watch a presentation of James and The Giant Peach put on by Playtime Poppy. We will also be attending Orchestra Iowa at the Paramount.

Van Buren English Language Learner program

(ELL)We continue to embrace and celebrate a diverse

student population at Van Buren. We have three full time ELL teachers this year: Amber Sebastian, Andrew Trout and Hannah Wold. We are currently serving 104 students in ELL. At Van Buren we provide small group instruction to those working on learning the English language. We focus primarily on vocabu-lary, reading, spelling patterns and grammar. Over 15 countries are currently represented at our school!

First Grade NewsWe have been busy learning

about plants. We planted mint, potatoes, rye grass, alfalfa, on-ions, and garlic. We made our own terrariums in our classrooms. In reading we have been working hard on reading base words and endings. We enjoy reading about the Superkids and learning about all their adventures. Each week we read �ction and non�ction text and learn new vocabulary words. We wrote stories to read to each other. We also write about our learning each Friday in our News Books. In math we are working on addition and subtraction strategies and facts. We want to build our fact �uency. We hope each of you have a great holiday season!

Cedar Rapids Community School District takes your safety seriously and welcomes your input.  Please contact your building principal/administrator and report any safety concerns that you may have.  Thank you for helping us keep staff and students safe.

Physical Education:Hello from the gym!!!! In Physical Education we

are working on many ways to exercise. It is recom-mended that kids get 60 minutes of exercise 7 days a week. Students are doing a lot of movement in P.E. class, but need to continue to move when they are at home. Parents and kids are encouraged to exercise together and make healthy food choices. Getting your child involved in an outside activity can increase a child’s self- image as well as help them top make some great friends. Want to see what the kids are doing?

Thanks,Mr. Hodges

News and Ideas from Special Ed and Title I

Special Ed and Title I are always working on oral language skills with our students no matter what area of instruction we are working on. How many times have you asked your child how school was today, and they replied with something as simple as “Fine”? Recently one of us was reading a teaching website called Edutopia and it suggested several ways to encourage more conversation with your child. While the questions could be used with all ages of children, they might need a bit of modi�cation to �t yours. Here are a few to consider:

Tell me about a moment today when you felt excited about what you were learning. Were there any moments today when you felt proud of yourself? Tell me about them. What are you looking forward to tomorrow? Is there a question you wish I’d ask you about your day?

Gift Books for the LibraryTen new books were gifted to the IMC in Novem-

ber! Students have already been checking out and reading the following new titles!

Glasswings: A Butter�y’s Story by Elisa KlevenThe Dark by Lemony SnicketOne Hundred Bones by Yuval ZommerThe Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Vol-

canoes by Duncan TonatiuhPrincess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover by Josh

SchneiderThe Story of Diva and Flea by Mo WillemsWe Found a Hat by Jon KlassenBeatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Bor-

rowed Guinea Pig by Deborah HopkinsonA Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting

and Love by Michelle EdwardsPolka Dots for Poppy by Amy SchwartzWe’ll be happy to offer suggestions for any-

one wanting to donate a book to the library. Mrs. Viner-Lynch and Mrs. DeBuhr

The District offers an online Virtual Backpack site to support the efforts of community orga-nizations wanting to share information about educationally-based programming.

Individuals or organizations wishing to post material on the Virtual Backpack submit items electronically and approved materials will ap-pear online for families to access.

Organizations will � nd a link to submit � yers for consideration on the District homepage at www.cr.k12.ia.us . Families can access th e Virtual Backpack from their school Web site.

VIRTUAL

BACKPACK

Kids on Course Learning Lab Learning Lab has begun…

After school Monday through Thursday, Van Buren �lls with Mad Scientists who create an awesome learning environment �lled with fun projects and student choice. Learning Lab is designed to push students of all academic achievement levels.

Students work in groups of seven or fewer with an adult leader (aka Mad Scientist). Groups are working on projects such as recycling, compost, making lemonade, creating animal habitats, and planning and bud-geting for Thanksgiving dinner. Through these projects students are building their reading and math skills.

Learning Lab IS: fun, creative, inventive, challenging, productive, for all students, teamwork, a setting to build reading and math skills.

Learning Lab is NOT: boring, worksheets, remedial tutoring, daycare.Last school year, 94% of students in Learning Lab grew their reading skills; 43% of students outpaced

the District’s reading growth goals for the year. These results cannot only be attributed to Learning Lab, but also to the high-quality instruction that students receive from their classroom teachers every day.

How does Learning Lab work? Students are given a pass at the end of the school day. This reminds them to go to the gym to join the rest of the Learning Lab students. From 3:45-4 pm, students enjoy a “Brain Break,” where they have a nutritionally balanced snack (whole grains and a fruit) and get to play games, draw, or build with LEGOs. At 4 pm, students leave the gym with their Mad Scientist and go to their desig-nated room to begin their projects for the day. Students are dismissed from Learning Lab at 5 pm.

Who runs Learning Lab? Claire Stevens and Greg White, Kids on Course site staff at Van Buren work on all of the logistics of getting students to Learning Lab, getting snacks, supporting Mad Scientists, and get-ting the kids home. Liesl Burgher, 1st grade teacher at Van Buren, and Diana Fenton, retired Cedar Rapids teacher, are co-site leaders for Learning Lab at Van Buren and focus on the instructional side: supporting Mad Scientists by helping them build curriculum and facilitate the projects.

Who should I contact if I have questions about Learning Lab? Claire Stevens or Greg White are happy to help: Claire (607) 592-3233; Greg (402) 217-1378.

When does Learning Lab end? Learning Lab’s fall session ends December 15. It starts again on January 9. Students will have 33 total sessions of Learning Lab. Here are the dates for rest of the school year:

Monday & Wednesday Learning Lab Tuesday & Thursday Learning LabNovember 28 & 30 November 29 & December 1December 5 & 7 December 6 & 8December 12 & 14 December 13 & 15

Winter Break Winter Break

January 9 & 11 January 10 & 12January 18 January 19January 23 & 25 January 24 & 26January 30 January 31February 1 February 2February 6 & 8 February 7 & 9

Parent / Teacher Conferences no Learning Lab Parent / Teacher Conferences no Learning LabFebruary 27 February 28March 1 March 2March 6 & 8 March 7 & 9

Spring Break Spring Break

March 20 & 22 March 21 & 23March 27 & 29 March 28 & 30April 3 & 5 April 4 & 6April 10 & 12 April 11 & 13

Hello Second Grade Families!

It was great to see you all during our previous conference weeks. Thank you for taking the time to learn about your child’s learning. Keep up the reading at home. Our �uency goal for the winter is 87 correct words per minute.

In Math, we are practicing strategies for mental addition and subtraction. We are using two 2-digit numbers and are talking about the ones and tens place value. In Science we just �nished up our Insects and Plants unit. We will be starting an Environmental History unit in social studies.

In reading, we enjoy reading about the Superkids in our new reading series. We are focusing on infor-mative writing and continue to practice our spelling words. During Enrichment we have many small math and reading groups going based on student data. Ask your student what they are learning about!

Non-Discrimination PolicyIt is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices. �ere is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. District employees with questions or a grievance related to this policy should contact Rodrick Dooley, Executive Director of Human Resources, rdooley@cr.k12.ia.us 319-558-2000. Students and others should contact Ken Morris, Jr., Manager of Student Equity/Title IX Coordinator, kmorris@cr.k12.ia.us or Paul Hayes, Director of Learning Supports/504 Compliance O�cer phayes@cr.k12.ia.us 319-558-2000. �e District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015.

Red Ribbon WeekDuring the week of November 7-11, Van Buren

students celebrated “Red Ribbon Week.” The theme for the week was YOLO – You Only Live Once.

The children learned that they must ask an adult for help if they are feeling sick (only adults can administer medicine). Students also learned how dangerous/illegal it is for kids to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. Parents can reinforce what was taught by keeping poisons (cleaning supplies) and medication away from young children and pets. Also, consider talking to your student about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Here is a pledge for kids to say:I pledge to stay in school and learn the things

that I need to know.I pledge to make the world a better place for kids

like me to grow.I pledge to keep my dreams alive and be all that I can be.

I pledge to help others and to keep myself drug free

Fifth Grade NewsOur skills in math have been multi-digit mul-

tiplication and long division. Don’t forget to be practicing basic facts at home! Students are taking a trip around the world studying differ-ent environments in sci-ence. The race in on in reading. Students have been working on writing written responses using text evidence. We are continuing to work on Accelerated Reader. Students should be reading their chapter book and non-�ction book at home. Our reading goal this month is due November 22nd, so be sure to ask your child what they are reading.

America Reads DayVan Buren hosted 47 guest readers for the 20th

year celebration of this “Reading is Contagious” event on Friday, October 21st! To commemorate the 20th year, staff dressed in clothing and hair styles they were sporting in 1996! What great fun!! Many of the readers read more than once, allowing each of our classrooms to enjoy 3 or more readers! We ended the day with an all-school “Skype A Story” from prin-cipal Kent Ryan. This event helps to impress upon our students the importance of reading, by seeing so many adults reading to them. Thank you to everyone who made this such a success!

Van Buren’s Recycle and Collection Site

We continue to be GREEN, by recycling Inkjet Cartridges, old Cell Phones and batteries!

We also collect Campbell’s Soup Labels, Big G Box Tops and Hy-Vee Receipts – our school receives money for these items, so please keep sending them in!

Pop Tabs - We donate these to Ronald McDonald House to help support families with sick children.

Please bring all of these items to our Recycle/ Collection Site upstairs outside the Family Resource Room!

Place Inkjet Cartridges in bags to keep ink out of backpacks and off clothing. Please use nametags at the site to �ll out and tape to the bags of cartridges and phones. We have a drawing each month for stu-dents participating in the recycling program!

Van Buren Pays Tribute to Our Veterans!Van Buren hosted the annual Veterans Day tribute Friday, November 11th. The sidewalks leading up to the

school were lined with over 100 American �ags that had belonged to George Hamman, grandfather of staff member, Tracy Tow and the front windows were adorned with a multitude of stars containing the names of Veterans; family and friends of Van Buren staff and students. 5th grade students in the Business Partnership Committee greeted Veterans at Applebee’s Restaurant and handed out cards made by all Van Buren students. At the end of the day we held our annual Veterans Day assembly. This assembly is a tradition started many years ago by retired teacher Kathy Shelton and the legacy continues. At the assembly, Vitality Show Choir performed, The BPC gave the true meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance, HACAP accepted the food donations from our food drive, Post 727 of the American Legion presented our nation’s �ag and spoke to the audience, Robb Randall (husband of one of our 3rd grade teachers, Ashley Randall) gave an inspirational speech and two Wilson Middle School trumpet players, Raissa Jacobs and Dillon DeFord, played Taps. Van Buren is very proud to pay our respect to all our service men and women. We appreciate everyone who helped make this a successful event.

Girls on the RunThe Van Buren Girls on the Run team completed the season by running a 5K in Iowa City on November

13th. 17 girls ran the 5K all of them doing better than they have ever done before. The coaches are so proud of all of their hard work all season long!

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