newsletter fort dodge senior high - fort dodge, iowa | fort dodge … · 2017-05-04 · the 90th...

FORT DODGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can

April 2017

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

April is here and spring is in the air at

FDSH! The year continues to fly by

with no indication of slowing down.

We are currently working on schedules

for the 2017-2018 school year and stu-

dents and staff are anxious to see what

the schedule will look like for next year.

One area of scheduling that we want

our parents and students to be aware of

is our Career Academy. Fort Dodge

Senior High students have the oppor-

tunity to earn from 17 – 21 dual credits by attending Iowa Cen-

tral’s Career Academy in Eagle Grove. Students do not pay for

tuition, textbooks, or transportation. At the end of successfully

completing one full year of courses, students are awarded a

$500 scholarship to Iowa Central. This is a savings of approxi-

mately $4,000 depending on the strand.

Students choose from one of six strands: Business, Engineering,

Teacher Academy, Liberal Arts, Manufacturing– Welding Em-

phasis or Manufacturing – Machining Emphasis. The classes in

each strand are the core classes for the program. Credits will

transfer to Iowa Central or many other community colleges or

universities.

Students travel by bus to Eagle Grove five mornings a week and

have class from 8:20 – 11:00 a.m. (periods 1-3). When they

return to Fort Dodge Senior High, they have lunch and follow –

-continue page 3

Stay connected for important information:

Follow us on Facebook at Fort Dodge

Community School District

Follow us on Twitter at @FDCSD

Check the Virtual Backpack under

events at www.fdschools.org

Fort Dodge Senior High

DODGER PROUD!

Staff and Students are recognized for having 100%

attendance at FDSH for the second trimester.

C oming to school / work everyday without missing a day is a real accomplishment! Associate

Superintendent, Mr. Robert Hughes, and FDSH Principal, Dr. Kenneth Hayes, acknowledged staff and students that accomplished this achievement. Those recognize included:

Staff: Julius Michalik, Science; Steve Wilkens, Math; Scott Sargent, Math; Matt Elsbecker, Athletic Director; Ryan O’Leary, Events Coordinator; Matt McCormick, Night Custodian; Matt Drees, Vocal Music; Amber Rouse, English; Todd Constable, Social Studies.

Students: Antavion Adams, Brycen Bell, Mason

Bockoven, Kathryn Cochrane, Jerri Evans, Marco

Fumagalli, Dakota Ganzaveld, Hannah Gebers, Boston

Gordon, Demetrius Grantham, Nehemiah Hippen, Rachel

Joslin, Dave Karisa, Gina Kramer, Brandon Lennon,

Haillie Lyon, Jonathon Madden, Nathanial Madden,

Karisa Meier, Aledixia Omayio, Sean Peters, Jace

Peterson, Olyvia Selby, and Val Wheeler.

OUR SCHOOLS. OUR COMMUNITY. OUR PRIDE.

Newsletter Fort Dodge Senior High

April 2017

TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can

COFFEE CONVERSATION

Wednesday, April 19

12 – 1 p.m.

FDCSD Central Administration Building

Dodger parents and community members are invited to join Dr. Van Zyl and Mr. Hughes for

coffee and conversation. We hope you’ll stop by to share ideas, concerns and successes you

see around the District and to learn more about what’s happening in our schools.

Dodger Time

Dodger Time is an advisory period at Fort Dodge Senior High that is held daily from 12:53-1:19.

S tudents will have the same Dodger Time teacher advising them at the high school for all 4 years they are at FDSH. During Dodger Time, students do a variety of activities including ca-

reer planning, relationship building, academic assistance, college visits, team building activities, and various school wide competitions. Dodger Time is also a time for students to learn social / emotional skills that help students present themselves in a positive way. This year we have recently started an intervention time on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s for our students that are struggling in a course they are currently enrolled in. Students are notified a week in advance as to which teacher they are assigned to work with and for how long that they will stay with that teacher. Typically, they stay with a teacher for two weeks on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s as an opportunity to get caught up, receive additional instruction, or prepare for exams. On April 12th, our students will have the opportunity to attend college visits with their Dodger Times. Our freshman students will be visiting the University of Northern Iowa, sophomores will be visiting Wartburg, and our juniors and seniors will be able to go on a college visit to Iowa Cen-tral Community College. If juniors and seniors wish to attend their own college visit with a parent they may do so, we just ask that you let your Dodger Time teacher know you have alternative plans.



April 2017

Upcoming ACT Testing Dates: April 8 Registration deadline March 3 June 10 Registration deadline May 5 Register at ACTstudent.org

Upcoming SAT Testing Dates: June 3 Registration deadline May 9

Register at SAT.org/register

IOWA ASSESSMENTS--Tentatively

scheduled last week of March. Date/

Times--TBD


Check the FDCSD Virtual Backpack!

Our Virtual Backpack contains flyers and information on school and community activities for your family and student. Many of them are free! The Fort Dodge community offers kids

so many great opportunities – make sure you are aware of the activities your kids can participate in. Check the Virtual Backpack today and regularly as new flyers are added often. http://www.fdschools.org/index.cfm?nodeID=85024&audienceID=1

—continued from page 1 Message from the Principal

their afternoon schedule. Classes are taught by Iowa Cen-

tral instructors or an Iowa Central adjunct. The focus of

the Career Academy is

to provide hands on

experiences. The

Academy offers many

tours and guest speak-

ers so students can

network with business

& industry. Also, the

buildings are equipped

with a high level of

equipment and tech-

nology.

On April 17, Sopho-

mores with the last

name beginning with A - G will tour the Career Academy

periods 1-3; Sophomores with the last name beginning

with H-O will tour the Career Academy periods 4-6.

On April 19, Sophomores with the last name beginning

with P-Z will tour the Career Academy periods 1-3.

To receive an application or for more information, please

contact one of the Fort Dodge Senior High counselors.

http://www.fdschools.org/index.cfm?nodeID=85024&audienceID=1

http://www.fdschools.org/index.cfm?nodeID=85024&audienceID=1



April 2017




April 2017


DECA Competition Making the Climb to Anaheim

Ten FDSH students competed at the DECA State Career Development Con-ference on February 26th & 27th.

T his competition took place at Southeast Polk High school and the Embassy Suites

on the River in Des Moines. Those who at-tended the conference include: Keaton Dor-nath, Tyrnan Lara, Tristan Earnest, Katie Degner, Maritza Santana-Bass, Olivia Santana-Bass, Ashton Acree, Dillon Lumsden, Han-nah Wadle and Rodney Tilawen.

At the conference, the students participated in role plays, completed exams, and presented written events. Keaton Dornath received the Most Outstanding Marketing student award for the FDSH chapter. The students also en-joyed entertainment of a hypnotist and a dance.

Event place winners include: Keaton Dornath, 1st place on the Marketing Communication exam, Honorable Mention in Marketing Com-munications, Honorable Mention in the Hospi-tality & Tourism Written Event; Tyrnan Lara, 1st Place on the 2nd Role Play and Honorable Mention overall in Sports & Entertainment Marketing; Tristan Earnest, Honorable Men-tion in Restaurant & Food Service Manage-ment; Ashton Acree, Honorable Mention in Business Services Marketing; Katie Degner, Honorable Mention in the Innovation Plan written event; and Hannah Wadle, Honorable Mention in Accounting Applications and 1st Place in the Buying & Merchandising Written Event. Hannah’s first place finish enabled her to receive a $100 scholarship, courtesy of

Voya Financial® Annuity and Asset Sales, towards her cost of attending the international conference. Top stu-dents are eligible to attend the International Career De-velopment Conference in Anaheim, California, April 26~30th. Those who will be attending include: Tyrnan Lara, Hannah Wadle, Keaton Dornath, and Tristan Ear-nest.

Congratulations to all the DECA participants.



April 2017 TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can

Vocal Music Department

The FDSH Vocal Music Department is underway with preparations for several Spring performances.

O n Sunday, March 5th, the A Cappella Choir performed a joint concert with the Fort Dodge Choral Society and the Fort Dodge Area Symphony. Together the three groups performed Gabriel Fauré’s

“Requiem” in its entirety with full orchestration. The concert was well received and offered the students a great opportunity to perform with live orchestra. The A Cappella Choir left for their Midwest Tour to Chicago on Friday, March 24. The students performed at Wartburg College and received a clinic from Dr. Lee Nelson. A Cappella performed a combined concert with the Cedar Rapids Jefferson Concert Choir before ending their evening with a homestay. On Saturday, the choir competed in the World Strides Heritage Festival Choral Competition before enjoying an evening at Medieval Times. Based on their performance scores the choir received a GOLD rating, which brings with it an open invitation to the World Strides Festival of Gold. The Advanced Vocal Techniques class students are busy preparing solos and ensembles for their upcoming contest. Students will sing for a judge’s rating and have a few minutes to work with the judge. FDSH will host its own solo/ensemble contest this year on Friday, April 7th, from 4:00-9:00 p.m. at Senior High. This event is open to the public and has free admission. The 90th annual musical, The Pajama Game, will be presented April 26-April 29th at 7:00 p.m. at the middle school auditorium. The students are having a great time preparing for a musical that takes place at a pajama factory in Iowa! Tickets are available at the Senior High office. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students/children. Dodger Men’s Chorus, Women’s Chorale, Vox Femina, and The A Cappella Choir are all preparing for their spring concert which will be held on Tuesday, May 2nd ,at 7:00 p.m. in the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium. Following this concert, these four academic choirs will compete in the Iowa High School Music Association Large Group Contest on Saturday, May 6th, to be held at Fort Dodge Middle School. Women’s Chorale will be traveling to Adventureland on May 22nd to perform during Adventureland’s special music showcase day. The students had a wonderful time last year and are very excited to perform and enjoy the amusement park rides! Thank you for your support of the FDSH Vocal Music Department! We hope that you will be able to attend some of the upcoming events this spring!



April 2017





Be a Stable, Positive Influence for a Child

Foster Families Needed in Fort Dodge

H unter, 14, struggled in school. He had been placed in foster care, moving between public schools and shelters, which he says was “confusing.”

“I didn’t have anybody I was friends with at the beginning, and then I would slowly make friends,” Hunter says.

But with each new move, Hunter was taken away from any friends he made. He felt disconnected from his teachers and classmates and dis-engaged from his schoolwork.

Foster care is the temporary placement of children outside of their home due to abuse, neglect, or other family crisis situations. The goal of family foster care is to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment but too often, foster care forces these children to move away from their schools, friends, and communities.

Each year, thousands of Iowa kids are placed in foster care through Iowa KidsNet, a statewide collaboration of agencies that provides recruitment, training, licensing, and continued support for individuals who wish to become foster and adoptive parents. A major goal of Iowa KidsNet is keeping a child in his or her school even as they move through the foster care system.

Now a freshman, Hunter is getting the consistency he needs to thrive. He’s been at his current school for more than a year, and he’s feeling the difference.

“It’s much smaller, and everybody knows everybody,” Hunter says.

Having that consistency has also helped Hunter to hold himself accountable at school.

“The faculty members have set the bar high, and he knows it’s time for everybody to start be-lieving in him,” says his foster mom, Ruth. “Now that he’s been here and he sees people are starting to see him as smart, savvy, and sophisticated, he’s been gaining confidence.”

Hunter has found his passion for algebra and computers in the high school. And Ruth and his teachers are there to encourage him to “someday design things that can save the world.”

That’s the kind of environment children in the foster care system need, Hunter says.

“None of us are the same,” he says. “Everybody has something they’re good or Continue page 9

Important Dates to Remember

April 11--Junior Parent Night 6-7 pm FDSH Little Theatre Students and their parent/guardian will learn all the information that Juniors need to know before entering their Senior year at FDSH. April 12--Student College Visit Day 9th Grade--will visit UNI 10th Grade--will visit Wartburg 11th/12th Grade--will visit ICCC 12th Grade--may also schedule their own independent visit to another college/ university. Documentation from the college/university must be presented to attendance office.

Annual Miles of Pennies Raises

Funds for Schools

Miles of Pennies, an annual fundraising

campaign has proven just how far a penny

can go.

A penny might not mean a lot to one person’s

bank account, but to the Fort Dodge

Community School District pennies will lead to

new educational resources.

Miles of Pennies will run from April 10 - April 28. The fundraiser challenges students and staff at each school to collect loose change in order to meet the school’s fundraising goal. Each school gets to keep 100 percent of the funds raised and will receive a $100 bonus from the FDCS Foundation if they reach their goal.




bad at.”

But there is one thing every foster child has in common, Ruth says: They want to belong and be treated like every other child in school.

“When a child is traumatized, that makes learning difficult in some areas. But when you set an expectation for other students, give them that same expectation. Walk beside them instead of say-ing they don’t have to do assignments or giving them excuses to fail. That makes them think oth-ers don’t believe in them,” Ruth says. “No kid wants to be labeled as ‘foster.’ Belonging is criti-cal. Create that sense of belonging for them.”

Have you ever thought about the children in your community that need loving, nurturing, and structured homes, and deserve to remain in their school district? If you have, we encourage you to call Iowa KidsNet at 1.800.243.0756 to see if you can help a child belong.

Be a Stable, Positive Influence for a Child (continued from page 8)



April 2017




April 2017


Prom 2017: Dodgers at the Oscars!

Where: Fort Frenzy Cardiff Center

When: April 22, 2017

Time: 8:00 - 11:00

Who: FDSH Juniors and Seniors

Ticket Price: $10

Tickets can be purchased by all Juniors and Seniors. Junior and Senior students can purchase tickets for and register non-junior

and senior guests as long as they are a current 9-12 student or a high school graduate under 21 years old.

Attendees must have ticket and current student IDs for entry into the dance. If student do not have a current student ID when ar-

riving to the dance, they will be charged an additional $10 service fee!

ALL ticket sales and guest registration must be completed prior to April 21. Absolutely no sales will be made the day of Prom.

The theme will be a red carpet awards show party event so get fancy!

To see our Theme release video check out https://goo.gl/SDW1wj

And stay up to date by following us on Social Media

SC: dodgersenate

Twitter: @dodgersenate

Please direct any questions via email to dhaugland@fdschools.

https://goo.gl/SDW1wj



April 2017 Page 13




April 2017 Page 12




April 2017




April 2017

District Compliance

It is the policy of the Fort Dodge Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ancestry, age,

gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, physical attributes, religion, political party

preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, veteran’s status, actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its

programs, services, and employment practices. If you have questions or grievances related to this policy, please contact Marcy

Harms, Director of Student Services, Central Administration Office, 104 South 17th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501, (574-5678)

or contact the Civil Rights Midwestern Division for U. S. Department of Education Office, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475,

Chicago, IL 60661-4544. (Alternate for Section 504 is Lis Ristau, Director of Special Needs, 515-574-5675).

The District’s Compliance Coordinator for Affirmative Action is Robert Hughes, Assistant Superintendent, who can be reached at 574-5657 or 104 South 17th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. The District’s Designated Investigator of Physical/Sexual Abuse of Students by School Employees is Marcy Harms. She can be reached at 574-5678 or 104 South 17th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. The alternate is Corey Moody. He can be reached at 574-5469 or 819 North 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

The District’s Officer for Harassment Complaints and Allegations is Marcy Harms, Director of Student Services. She can be reached at 574-5678 or 104 South 17th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501

************************************************************************************* You can find information on our schools. News stories, data, contacts and more on the FDCSD website:

www.fdschools.org. In addition, follow FDCSD on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date District information, pictures and reminders.

DODGER DATES April 5– District Foundation

Meeting at Central Office

April 8– ACT Test

April 8– Foundation

Fundraiser at Fort Frenzy

April 8– State Solo/Ensemble

Festival

April 11– Junior Parent Night

April 12– Student College

Visitation Day

April 14– No School

April 17– Sophomore Visit

to the Career Academy

April 19– Sophomore Visit

to the Career Academy

April 21– NHS Blood Drive

Apr 22– Prom

May 9– Rachel’s Challenge

Celebration

May 17– Early Dismissal

May 29– No School

(Memorial Day)

Jun 2– Last Day of School

TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They

*See web page for athletic schedules and dates

tel:(515)%20574-5675

http://www.fdschools.org

newsletter fort dodge senior high - fort dodge, iowa | fort dodge … · 2017-05-04 · the 90th...

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