Moving at the speed of change

Weight Room Addition

2011-08-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

The Newell-Fonda Community School is into an addition possible by the generous donation of Don Anderson. Mr. Anderson had set up a trust fund many years ago. For the first 10 years, the fund provided scholarships for Newell-Fonda graduates who were entering any medical field related career. This fund provided many students opportunities to establish themselves into a career of service in the medical field.

At the end of 10 years, the principal (approximately $325,000) was to be divided up and used by 4 specified groups within the school district. The 4 areas are Music, Speech, Art, and Athletics. Committees were formed for each area and recommendations made on the use of money. One of the goals was to provide an impact on students of the Newell-Fonda district as long-term as possible.

The Athletic committee had long seen a need for a improved weight room facility. The have dedicated the entire share of the Anderson Trust Athletic apportionment to the construction of a new weight room facility which is located north of the small gym. Below are progress pictures provided by Scott Kilbride, bus driver and photographer extraordinaire. Thank you to Scott for sharing his photos. Substantial completion will be near or by November 1st.

This is a view looking south from the railroad tracks. The wall directly behind is the small gym.

The exterior framing is nearly complete. The four large windows will look north and provide a lot of natural light.

This view is from the west, you can see the old bus barn and the big gym in the background. There will be an entrance door on both the east and west, seen at right, to the weight room.

Check back for continued updates.

Debt Solution

2011-07-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

We appear to be heading into an out of control spiral but Warren Buffett offered his advice to put an end to budget deficits. Sometimes the solutions are just so simple.

Warren Buffett, pictured here adorably eating a parfait, presented his quick and easy solution to America’s debt problem today on CNBC:
“I could end the deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than three percent of GDP all sitting members of congress are ineligible for reelection.

Innovation

2011-02-14T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here is an article shared with me from our AEA Chief Administrator, Jeff Herzberg. In his email Jeff states

You may have all caught this article but it should be read by every staff member, community member and board member in rural Iowa...

The article, When Factories Vanish, So Can Innovators, discusses the impact to other industries because of losing manufacturing jobs in the United States. How do schools reverse what the article points to? “Young people stop thinking about making things,” Mr. Jordan says. “It is no longer in their heads. They have a different mental orientation."

If this is true, how do we get them thinking about making things? To be creative and innovative?

Counting Hours vs Days

2011-02-04T11:42:00.001-08:00

I have mixed feelings of counting hours versus counting days when inclement weather comes into play. I guess one of my views would be to have the flexibility to make up time missed by extending the day or starting earlier when temps are more conducive to staying in school. The part we must remember is that we had 2 early dismissals due to heat.

Your thoughts pro and con.

MLK Day - What is Your Dream?

2011-01-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and one of the most famous speeches ever known, "I Have A Dream", an attempt to identify Dreams for Education. What is your Dream as related to Education? What will it take to make it happen? Are you working within a system that encourages change?

"I Have A Dream.....

That People stop others when they begin to talk negative about education while not knowing facts
That People are aware they are always selling Newell-Fonda with every interaction both in person and online
That People are proud to be part of something special and their actions support this
That teachers, students, and patrons feel they are treated with respect and fairly when they come to our school
That all staff treat each student as our best customer
That people feel they can approach all administrators with constructive dialogue in an effort to make the system better
That change is embraced as the norm rather than another thing we have to do
That students embrace and excel with the tools we provide
That people embrace being an active participant of “The Great Conversation” as referenced by Jamie Vollmer in his book Schools Cannot Do It Alone
That Iowa can impact teaching and learning
That our students can connect with learners from all over the United States
That business and industry connect with schools to move change"

These are a few of my "dreams" for our system that I feel are important as we move forward.

Our entire staff, certified and non-certified, are reading the book by Jamie Vollmer as referenced above and I am hearing some promising comments from our dialogue. Change will occur and our employees are empowered to initiate the change.

I would encourage all to push on your system and stretch your staff. Iowa has a lot of talent working in its schools and they need to be given the opportunity to share outside of their four walls.

Be sure and check out the visions shared on our new DE Director's blog where he asks 3 questions to Iowa educators. It appears change will be supported from the top, this is a great time to be in education!

Pardon The Disruption - Back to Teaching

2010-10-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

So you went to a tech conference at Newell-Fonda or Sigourney as part of the #iowa1to1 and picked up some tips on how to integrate technology and teach differently. You got back to your school shared your new enthusiasm with your students and they were inspired. You carried that into day 2, 3 and perhaps into the next week. But now we are 10 days post-conference and some are resorting back to the old way of teaching. In essence, you are sending the message to your students "Pardon The Disruption" - Back to my old teaching styles.

Being a master learner is about continually researching ways to improve teaching, trying new methods, reflecting on your craft, sharing with a peer, and trying again. Clayton Christiansen discusses why schools struggle to teach differently, or fight through the disruption. Teaching in a 1 to 1 provides the opportunities to teach differently. While tech integration provides challenges, tech can help in both changing technology and changing pedagogy.

What can you do to help push through the challenges? Have you touched base with new relationships from the conference? Have you shared a success or failure from something you tried? Have you followed the #iowa1to1 hashtag on twitter? Have you joined a group on the Iowa 1 to 1 Ning? Have you asked for help from a new group on the Iowa 1 to 1 Ning?

Don't procrastinate any longer--connect and expand with your Personal Learning Network(PLN). Procrastination inhibits change leading to improved student engagement. Push yourself into action. There will always be reasons not to but there are plenty of reasons to change---most notable, the students in your classroom. Don't let the disruption stop you from changing.

My "Tin Cup" List

2010-10-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

At the recent Technology and Learning conference held at Newell-Fonda and Sigourney, I have heard about a lot of the learning that took place. My opening comment for the day was "this is your learning, you are responsible". During the conference, I tweeted a comment I heard which was "I just want to take 1 thing home and implement it".

So, with so much information and ideas being exchanged, where are you at? I am referring to it as the "Tin Cup List" since a bucket can be overwhelming and inhibit any implementation of the ideas or tools you learned. Now you are back in the classroom; have you taken action?

What have you implemented the new ideas? Have you modeled blogging, posting to a blog, or reaching out to your Personal Learning Network (PLN)? What have you changed in your teaching? Have you shared this with your students? Have you emptied your tin cup or bucket?

There are many other questions to be answered, now is the time to take action....Join the conversation.

Down The Home Stretch!

2010-07-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Construction activity is at an all-time high. Many trades are busy putting the finishing touches on rooms as fast as possible. We are on schedule to hold registration on August 10, from 10:00 - 7:00 in the new commons. We will have so much more room for large crowds during the registration process and will be in a controlled environment. Below are some updated photos as we continue to make progress.

This is the high school office. The window that is open is a roll top access so not everyone will need to come into the office. This is where Dana Seivert, high school secretary will be located.

The 4 classrooms all have ample storage. You can also see the carpet tiles are now installed in all the rooms.

This is a white board with a protective cover still on it. Each classroom has a white board in the front of the room.

The entrances on the east side of the addition are complete except for handrails on the ramps. The south entrance will be completed the end of this week and into next week.

Construction Update

2010-06-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

The Newell-Fonda school addition is gaining momentum again now that some of the different trades are in place. The flooring subcontractor, Jannings, out of Carroll, Iowa has completed the kitchen quarry tile, the bathroom tile, and will start pouring the terrazzo in the commons today. The ceiling grid people are also working to install the grid in the kitchen and classrooms.

The painting is all completed except for the commons ceiling. That will need to wait until the floor is complete which would be in about 1 1/2 weeks. Kolacia, the general contractor, is also starting to form up the curbs(see below).

Installers shown laying the quarry tile in the kitchen. This is now complete.

Painting in the commons partially completed. Walls are now all complete.

Form work on the exterior has begun the week of June 1st.

Don't Take It For Granted: Teaching in a 1:1

2010-04-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

To all staff working in a 1:1, and specifically the Newell-Fonda high school staff, currently wrapping up their second year of 1:1, and to our 5-8 staff who will be added to the 1:1 next Fall. When you operate in a 1:1 it is easy to take for granted what we have our hands on, which is the ability to do things differently for kids. To engage and challenge them in learning. Having the students take control of that learning, and leveraging technology to differentiate learning to fit the needs of each student.

Below is video from Russ Goerend, a 6th grade teacher from Waukee Middle School. You may need to watch the video more than once, because his son is pretty cute. He also has been a person I follow on Twitter, and from my interactions with him, both in person and through Twitter, he gets it. I don't want to put words into Russ' mouth, but in my mind, Russ understands that the 1:1 environment is not about the machine, but rather about changing teaching and learning. I got permission from Russ to share his video here, but I encourage you to check out his blog and comment on his ideas.

Make the most out of working in a 1:1 environment. Will it take work? absolutely, but if done correctly, it could be some of the most meaningful work for both teacher and student. Thanks to Russ for sharing his ideas, the guy deserves to teach in 1:1! So while Russ continues to wonder what it would be like to teach in a 1:1 school, those in a school need to take advantage of it every day. As you progress on the journey, make it about teaching and learning, not about the computer!

Update

2010-04-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Building Update

We have been given a guarantee that the building will be ready by August 5th. We have put off registration a week or so just in case any other delays add to that schedule, but it appears things are back on schedule. I have posted some pictures for those of you who don't get to the school.

The exterior brick work is complete as of April 2, 2010. The brick mason is finishing some odds and ends on the interior but for the most part are complete. The areas at both entrances (east entrance shown) are brick higher up and the rest of the building has a 4 foot brick and then a stucco looking surface will be applied the rest of the way up. The stucco contractor is due to arrive early to mid April.

Above, the window contractor begins the window installation. They did a great job and completed all of the window installation in 2 days. The had 1 broken piece of glass but will return and fix that.

Above, is a view from one of the classrooms to the south of the building through one of the newly installed windows. You can see the elementary playground in the background. Also, to the right, you can see the drywall divider between classrooms.

Most of the connections between the buildings are complete but are protected by a shelter to prevent access to curious teachers and students. Thanks again to all of our students, faculty, and community members who have been patient throughout this construction process.

Commons Floor is Poured!

2010-02-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

The commons floor of the new addition was poured on Tuesday, February 16th. The photos below show the size of the commons area, which will serve as gathering area, student center, and lunch room.

Above, the grey machine in the background leveled the cement to finish depth automatically by receiving a signal from a laser level. Technology enabled them to pour the entire commons in one morning.
Motorized carts, background, replaces the standard wheel-barrow. Each cart holds a little more than 1/4 yard of concrete. Kolacia had 2 buggies and the could haul it as fast as the cement truck could haul it.

Workers bull-float a smoother finish after the machine does the initial leveling.
Another shot of the machine that leveled the concrete. The poles on the left and right communicated with a laser that dictates the depth of the concrete.

Construction Update

2010-02-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

Work continues on the addition on the Newell-Fonda PK-12 building. The commons is on schedule to have concrete on February 12th. All interior walls are framed up in the classrooms and high school office. The entire area is being heated by temporary heat to maintain 55 degree temperature. Temporary lighting If you have questions, contact Jeff Dicks, Superintendent @dicksj@newell-fonda.k12.ia.us or call (712)272-3324.

Above, shot from the new restrooms off of the commons.

Kitchen area has a lot of venting complete.

The framed wall is in between the classroom area.

Kitchen vent where all the heat producing appliances will be located.

High school office area framing is nearly complete. Will include principal's office, storage, secretary/reception area, and conference room.

Construction Update

2010-01-24T19:37:00.001-08:00

The roof is 98% complete on the addition. This is great news as the weather will not be a deterrent to construction progress. The 2% remaining is where all the heating/air conditioning rooftop units will be installed. They are temporarily covered until the HVAC subcontractor arrives. All of the HVAC units are on site, an installation just needs to be completed.

The building is also now set up with a more permanent and efficient heat source as the general contractor is heating the entire area, especially the commons that needs to be thawed out in order to pour the floor.

The block layers have a few odds and ends on the commons restrooms before they begin to brick the exterior. The exterior consists of a 4 foot brick and then insulation covered by a stucco-type finish from the brick up.

Apple Open House - Making A Difference

2010-01-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

On January 13th, Newell-Fonda CSD hosted an open house for other schools interested in implementing a 1:1 laptop program in their school. What an exciting day to see the enthusiasm of these 23 schools and nearly 85 participants. Those attending ranged from superintendents, principals, board members, teachers, and parents.

Spirit Lake CSD brought over 15 people in search of support of a PPEL vote on February 2 to implement a 1:1 in grades 5-12 and carts in grades K-4. In addition, they will be purchasing an array of additional technology. Because my parents live in the Great Lakes region, my dad ran across an editorial of one of the attendees. It would be easy to take offense to the comment "The school had everything to be a struggling or dormant school in a small rural town, with low enrollment and old facilities." But what followed, confirmed how we feel of the advantage we give our students each and every day. In addition, it confirms that our 1:1 becomes less and less about the laptop and more about changing instruction and learning. Read the entire article here.

Great job of involving the stakeholders by first year superintendent Dave Smith. I look forward in working with Spirit Lake in the future as the work towards a 1:1 program. Check out the web presence in pursuit of communicating to the community the importance of this vote. Good luck to superintendent Smith.

Apple Distinguished Recognition

2010-01-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

Newell, IA December 23, 2009 – Newell-Fonda Community School is pleased to announce that it has been named an Apple Distinguished School for the implementation of its 1:1 laptop program. The Apple Distinguished School designation is reserved for schools that have implemented a 21st century vision of education using Apple technology. “Our 9-12 laptop program is changing the way we look at education,” states Superintendent Jeff Dicks.

Newell-Fonda is the first school district in Iowa to receive this distinction and 1 of only 53 in the nation. “By putting a device in the hands of each student, we have leveled the playing field. We see this as an opportunity to teach in real time, which means we are giving teachers and students access to the most relevant and up-to-date content on the internet.”

The selection of Newell-Fonda as an Apple Distinguished School highlights its successes in enhancing and extending teaching and learning with thoughtful and innovative implementations of technology. “We are able to collaborate with other schools not only in Iowa but also around the world, including Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay,” states Alynn Coppock, 9-12 principal. Coppock continues, “Because of the collaboration between our high school teachers and our elementary teachers, our first graders are also doing a project using Skype, a free product that enables them to video conference with 80 schools around the world.”

There will be a formal presentation by Apple on January 13, 2010 prior to an already scheduled technology open house. Apple will present the award at 9:00 a.m. followed by the open house. “We do an open house to allow other schools, board members, prospective students, and parents to see the power and advantages of a 1:1 learning environment,” Dicks states. Newell-Fonda is very excited to have the opportunity to teach their students to become responsible consumers of digital content. More information will be available concerning the open house.

Creating the Future of Learning

2009-12-12T18:30:00.001-08:00

I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Scott McLeod, director of the Center of the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), on December 11, 2009 in Ames, Iowa. Scott brought in Will Richardson, “Learner in Chief” at Connective Learning and the author of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms now in its 2nd Edition, published by Corwin Press. Will definitely left an impression on the 40 guests composed of superintendents, principals, Department of Education, AEA, and business and industry.

The speed of technology advances and how it is affecting business and the way business operates. "Businesses must be listening to this conversation or they will not last", stated Will Richardson. Those that are not believing the Twitter revolution, should know that Best Buy has 1200 people at the ready to answer questions via Twelpforce. If you are someone who complains about the "wait time" of a customer service call, you probably need to find an alternative way to ask your question. Twelpforce answers questions faster than their phone customer service.

How does this impact education? Is education listening to this conversation?

Todd Whitaker states that "we are no longer in the business of teaching anymore, we are in the business of learning". Helping teachers "learn" in this new environment will help them help their students. Below are some of the things that definitely made me stop and think: Please share your comments and become a participant in 21st century learning.

Enabling students to connect with learners from all over the country who "share their passion" and can help them learn.
A school's 3 year tech plan should be about curriculum.
Need to have a curriculum in place to support having a device in every students hands.
Are we teaching students to read and write in a linked environment (I am including many more links in this post) No one is teaching this; why?
Our current assessments don't assess creativity ( a skill identified as critical by business)
If our students are not Google-able by the time they graduate then we have failed them.
Education is coming close to our "oh crap" moment. We can't just put devices in their hands but look at curriculum and assessment.
Wikipedia has over 400,000 changes per day. Errors yes, but they can be changed.
An MIT math textbook had over 100 errors but it can't be corrected without buying another textbook. Online or collaborative online texts can not only be changed but updated immediately.

I assure you, Newell-Fonda is listening to this conversation. Our laptop program was a great step in providing devices for each 9-12 student. Now we are seeing that is just a piece of the puzzle, and more important, we need to create a curriculum to support our access. The board will decide how much farther to expand our 1:1. During the grade realignment process, it was promised that grades 7-8 would be included. More updates on that after our December 14, 2009 board meeting.

Another step is addressing standards for 21st Century Learning like those of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). According to NCTE, 21st Century readers and writers need to be able to:

• Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
• Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and
cross-culturally
• Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of
purposes
• Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous
information
• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts
• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments

I fully understand this will not be easy and probably not met without some resistance and skepticism, but Newell-Fonda will take steps to improve. One thing we have done a pretty good job of is sharing our journey of our 1:1 program with others. In our second year, 12 other schools in Iowa have joined us and we need to continue to share, collaborate, and pursue partnerships.

Apple Open House - January 13, 2009, Newell-Fonda High School

Newell-Fonda High School in collaboration with Apple, Inc., will again host an open house to let other schools come see how a 1:1 works. This will be a 1 day event that will enable any visitor to see first-hand what teaching and learning looks like in a 1:1 environment. It will be an exciting day filled with more exciting news concerning Newell-Fonda's journey.

IASB Convention

2009-11-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

I attended the Iowa Association of School Board Convention on November 19, 2009 and was moved by Coach Jim Johnson. Many of you may have heard of this story, but it is worth your time to watch again.

Now a graduate, J-Mac still helps with the basketball program.

Coach James Johnson - 6 Essential Keys for Making Your Dreams Come True

1.	FIND YOUR PASSION

2.	DISCOVER YOUR MISSION

SET GOALS

4.	PERSEVERANCE

5.	CARPE DIEM: "SEIZE THE DAY"

6.	BE A TEAM PLAYER You can find more information at Coach Johnson's website.

Construction Moving Along

2009-11-09T15:18:00.001-08:00

Bar joist in place on 2 of the classrooms.
A crane lowers bar joist into position 2 of the 4 classrooms. Bar joists were set on all 4 classrooms on November 9th.

This is the southeast classrooms. The alley will be the new entrance, with classrooms on the left and high school office on the right.

Construction Update

2009-10-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

The final footings have been poured for the southeast classrooms. The 2 windows will have a wall in between them separating the 2 classrooms.

The concrete floor in the northeast classrooms was poured on 10/19/09. We finally have an area that is free from mud!

This area will be the future restrooms on the east end of the commons area. Work finished on the outside walls on 10/19/09. Work as slowed as the block masons have fought rain and mud.

Plumbers are roughing in drains in the kitchen area. They have fought extremely wet weather as can be seen by the lumpy terrain.

Governor Institutes 10% Cut

2009-10-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

Governor Culver has recently announced a 10% Across-The-Board-Cuts(ATBC) for all state agencies. The Governor has the power and to institute an ATBC. What this means for Newell-Fonda? $200,337.00

I want to explain what this means. We planned our budget last February, had the state's blessing on the amount we would receive in funding. We then planned accordingly to fill our staffing needs. This cut is put into effect immediately. We will receive $200,337.00 LESS than we were promised in our budget. No need to complain, it is what it is, and we must move forward and work together to get through this.

Early projections were that the Governor would start with a smaller cut and then another cut later. The other cut later may still be coming. State revenues are off nearly 17%. Education is 45% of the state's budget. He just cut 10%; and it appears unless there is a dramatic turn-around, there may be more cuts coming. Historically, an economic recovery takes more time than decline. We need to prepare for more cuts.

I announced at our last board meeting the following: "I want to thank past and present board members for making a difficult decision on closing the Fonda building." This will make a difference in how we are able to withstand this down turn in our funding. Other schools will try to react but a process like this takes time.

The administrative team has begun looking at things that we can reduce or do without in the future. There can be no reductions to certified staff because they are under contract for 1 year. Many state agencies have the ability to institute furloughs but we can’t do that. This will be a very important year for the Legislature. They will need to prioritize spending on a tight budget year. All government agencies and businesses are feeling the pinch of this long-term downturn.

Can Newell-Fonda withstand this? Absolutely, but we need to work now in little ways so that we can be in a position to support programs for kids. We will begin planning for next year and look for ways to become more efficient while at the same time continuing to offer quality programs.

You can view the Sunday Des Moines Register article related to the cuts. The cuts for every district in Iowa can be seen here.

Construction Update

2009-10-01T06:04:00.001-07:00

Work is progressing very well as the block mason has been moving right along. They are laid something on every wall. Interior footings are also being finished by the general contractor. This photo is taken from the future commons area looking north to the 2 class rooms on the north. Each will have a large window in it.

This photo is the future front of the addition and will be 2 classrooms facing south. The windows will be taking shape in the coming days. The block masons have only been on site for 3 weeks and have had great weather.

Construction Update - Kitchen taking shape

2009-09-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Slechta Masonry has made great progress this week. The kitchen walls are taking shape as we have had great weather for building. The pictures below show the back of the kitchen completed and the side wall taking shape. Keep checking back for periodic updates.

The kitchen walls are taking shape as we have had great weather for building. The pictures below show the back of the kitchen completed and the side wall taking shape. Keep checking back for periodic updates.

These are the footings of the principal and board room. This picture was taken from the commons.

Here are the footing layouts of the bathrooms off of the commons. This should provide a great place to gather during volleyball and basketball games. This picture is from the middle of the future commons.

Give Them The Tools...

2009-09-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Newell-Fonda has just kicked off year 2 of our 1:1 laptop program, "Log Onto Learning". The focus of year 2 is to empower students to utilize the tools that we have given to them. We have heard time and time again, that if we did that, they will come up with ways that we never imagined to utilize this as a tool and be creative. More on being creative later.

Also, to start off year 2 we are allowing social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While this is contrary to nearly 99% of Acceptable Use Policies across not only the state of Iowa but also the United States, our goal is to teach the responsible use of these social networking tools that they already know how to use. These tools allow students to better collaborate not only between classmates but also between other schools, states, and countries.

Our new Spanish teacher is utilizing a site for webtools for language that allow her students to practice the correct pronunciation of Spanish. She is able to create her own assignments and students reply either with written or voice responses. She in turn is able to give the students feedback via email or recorded voice. As she has seen, "students are less intimidated to practice for fear of making errors in front of their peers". The key to this FREE website is having the tools in the hands of students. Requirements are that students have web access and also a microphone to be used to record their verbal answers back. This site can be used for any subject and as we discussed, could help with a student who is better at verbal answers rather than written. Exciting time in education if your school is providing these tools.

And now for the "being creative later story" We have also given our students each an email account through our district program. Again, we see the use of email as a collaborative effort to empower students to utilize the tools available to them, and to model appropriate use. Today, as I was sitting in a superintendents meeting, I was receiving Twitter updates from a Judy Jeffrey address on the other side of the state, corresponding with the office via email, and listening to our speaker at AEA 8. Into my inbox comes an email from one of our freshman girls. Today was the kickoff for magazine sales, the primary fund-raising for their junior prom. There are all sorts of prizes for the top salesperson and many times the student who makes first contact gets the sale, or students don't even hit all of the staff to renew their magazines. Well, not the case this year. This freshman student has learned that you can send an email to a listserv that hits all high school faculty members. I received the email and I responded and we ended up having a dialogue through email about her innovative approach. Give them the tools, they will find creative and relevant uses with them.

Yes, there will be challenges, but some businesses pay large sums of money to come up with marketing campaigns that may not be as effective as what this student came up with. Granted, I am supportive of students presenting face-to-face to get the sale, and she will still need to do that. But she understands a little bit about the "working smarter not harder" concept and demonstrated it today using the tools given to her.

Early Figures Indicate Enrollment Increase

2009-08-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

With a preliminary count of students in the seats taken on August 28, 2009, the Newell-Fonda enrollment shows an increase of nearly 15 students. October 1, 2009 is the critical date for Certified Enrollment, which represents a different number than students in the seats. Students in the seat almost always equates to a larger Certified Enrollment. Certified Enrollment is the official count that is used in the funding formula used by the Department of Management.

In addition, August 31, 2009 is the first day of preschool and we have an above average number of 4 year olds in our preschool. At one point this summer we had over 50 in our early childhood classes which included 9 transitional kindergarten (TK) students. Official enrollment numbers will be posted after October 1st.

This is a great year to have a large number of preschool students since Newell-Fonda was awarded the 4-year-old preschool grant. We received funding this year in the form of a grant and will count these students in a special count weighted at .6.

Newell-Fonda Construction

2009-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Construction on the Newell-Fonda addition is moving along with a noticeable footprint of the building nearly complete. More pictures will follow construction progress.

Footings being dug with new parking lot
in the background

View of footings which will
be the east wall of the kitchen.