Teens Behind the Wheel

Last week, our youngest son turned fourteen. Just like his older brothers, one of the first things that Jacob wanted to do upon reaching this milestone age was to visit the DOT Driver License station and take the written test to receive his permit to drive. 

He passed his test, and now he’s getting some of his first experiences behind the wheel. Right now, we’re primarily sticking to the rural roads of Tama County, but we’ll eventually venture into some of the small towns in the area. At some point, I’m sure we’ll endeavor to try out the roads in some of the medium-sized towns and larger cities in the area as we seek to help our son develop his skills as a driver.

I’ll admit that my wife and I aren’t nearly as nervous this time around. Jacob has had two older brothers to “break us in” on the idea of having our kids behind the wheel.  

I recall the first few practice driving sessions with our oldest son and how I was overly anxious about his every move.  I nearly panicked and grabbed the steering wheel as he took his first left turn. This wasn’t because he was doing anything wrong; in retrospect, he was doing just fine. I just wasn’t mentally prepared for the idea of my child becoming a driver!

Our older sons are now both young adults who have gone through the entire process of earning their instruction permits, hours of practice driving with their parents, driver education classes, school permits, and intermediate licenses before finally achieving their full licenses.  Both of them are good drivers, and I’m confident that they – as well as the other drivers and pedestrians that they encounter on a daily basis – are just as safe as anyone is on the road.

Our son Jacob showing off his new
instruction permit. 

As our youngest son is now just getting out there on the road for some of his first practice driving, I’m reminded that EXPERIENCE is one of the best ways to learn.  The guided practice that young drivers receive from their parents as they venture out onto the road as new drivers is critical to their success and to their safety.   

Roughly 40 North Tama students have reached the age of 14 during the past year, and many more students will reach that milestone in the coming months. Driver Education classes will also be starting in the near future. I’m sure these young people’s parents experienced similar degrees of anxiousness as their sons and daughters reached various milestones related to driving.

Parents, you’ve spent your child’s entire lifetime helping him or her to grow and learn. One of your most important goals during this time has been to keep your child safe.  A “rite of passage” as they get older is the freedom and independence of driving. However, with this freedom and independence comes a tremendous amount of risk. Have you prepared your child for this challenging time? Have you done everything you could? Have you sought out sound advice about the dangers of driving as a teen driver before they hit the road alone?

Their life could depend upon it.

Because young drivers lack experience and have had minimal hands-on supervised practice behind the wheel, they may not perceive risks in the same way that you and I do.  Drivers that don’t understand the risks are more likely to be overconfident, leading them to believe that they can handle distractions such as cell phones, multiple passengers, loud music, eating or drinking while driving, emotionally-charged driving, etc. Overconfidence can also lead to a feeling of invincibility, causing drivers to feel that the rules of the road such as speed limits and stop signs don’t apply to them.

One of the most important things a parent can do is to set a positive example.  Remember, they will be watching YOU when you are behind the wheel, and you provide their greatest model. Your respect (or lack of respect) for the rules of the road and your aggressiveness (or lack of aggressiveness) behind the wheel is likely to be reflected in your child’s behaviors behind the wheel.  If you haven’t been setting the best example, there’s no time like right now to get started.

Parents shouldn’t take their child’s driving abilities for granted, and it isn’t safe to assume that they will get all of the behind-the-wheel time that they need during Driver Education class. Young drivers need PRACTICE, and while Driver Education does offer the state-required minimum of 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, their greatest opportunity for practice is driving with parents. Parents should ride with their young drivers often, and should be engaged while their child is driving so that appropriate feedback can be given.

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. You are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my Star Clipper columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill. 

Why We LOVE Author Visits at North Tama

North Tama’s students and staff have had the opportunity to meet and learn from several well-known authors that have visited the school in recent years. Perhaps you caught some of the media coverage this past September when we were visited by internationally-acclaimed author Peter Reynolds.  If you happened to get a quick glimpse of the assembly during the coverage on KWWL news or when it was broadcast in its entirety on discoveryeducation.com, you surely saw our students’ excitement and understood that September 13 was not a typical day of school at North Tama. 

Peter Reynolds arrives at North Tama
in Carol Detje's dot-decorated bus.

Maybe you saw Carol Detje’s school bus, decorated with hundreds of multicolored dots, as Carol gave Peter Reynolds a tour of Traer before bringing him to the school, where he was greeted by hundreds of cheering students.  While I hope everyone in the community had a chance to share in our excitement, it has occurred to me that some folks might not understand WHY we decided to take time from our school day for such excitement.

We all understand that teaching kids to read, write, compute, solve problems independently, and think critically is serious business…so why do we at North Tama take time from our regular learning experiences for the craziness of an author visit? Could our time and resources be used in a more productive way? 

At North Tama Schools, we believe the time that we spend with authors such as Peter Reynolds, Kirby Larson, Drew Daywalt and others is an INVESTMENT in our students’ futures for many reasons. 

When the teachers and school community show their enthusiasm for an upcoming author visit, students of all ages take the cue that books are important. A buzz of excitement is created. Kids are motivated to read that author's books in preparation for the visit.

There is nothing like an author visit to get kids reading, writing, and understanding the creative process. While our visiting authors often read aloud from the books they have written, it’s not the books that make these visits so successful. Meeting authors makes the reading, the writing process, the literature, and the authors themselves REAL and ACCESIBLE to the students.

When students understand the “inside story” of how and why a particular book was written, they learn to recognize the choices made by authors. This helps to improve their reading comprehension as they develop and practice the ability to make predictions, inferences, and associations. 

When published writers share the real-life process of developing a book from the idea stage to the final product, kids are often inspired to do more of their own writing. Spending time with someone like Peter Reynolds gives students a chance to see that authors are a real person – not just a name on a book cover. While they learn that authors are ordinary people just like you and me, they also discover that even the most successful authors have had to take risks, fail, persevere, and try again. Peter Reynolds helped North Tama students to understand that when they combine creativity with perseverance, nearly anything is possible.

Six months have passed since our most recent author visit; but, you can still see, hear, and feel the effects throughout the school. That’s why we have invested our time and resources in having authors come to North Tama, and that’s why we will continue to provide opportunities like this for our students in the future. We may live in a small, rural community…but we’re committed to providing our students with WORLD CLASS experiences.

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. You are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my Star Clipper columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill. 

North Tama Joins “The Promise of Iowa” Campaign to Support Public Schools

The Board of Directors of the North Tama County Community School District has passed a resolution in support of “The Promise of Iowa” campaign. The goal of the statewide campaign is to focus attention on the future of Iowa public school students and to rally support for public education in Iowa. The “Promise of Iowa” campaign is being coordinated statewide by the Iowa Association of School Boards.

The campaign’s focus is on building public understanding about the work of public schools today, which are innovating to ensure students are positioned for success in their futures. Iowa’s future leaders, innovators and citizens are its children. They are “The Promise of Iowa.” Their future is created every day by Iowa public schools. Iowa public schools develop their potential, strengthen communities, and contribute to a strong economy.

Another goal of the campaign is to encourage Iowans to show their support for the investments needed to keep our public schools strong. In this era of competing priorities and limited resources, state funding has fallen short in meeting the real needs of our students. As locally elected citizens entrusted with public education, your school board members have decided to support this campaign to rally public support and understanding for continued investments that move our state and community forward.

The North Tama board’s support of “The Promise of Iowa” campaign is an important step in raising awareness statewide about the value of public education in shaping the next generation of Iowa leaders, workers and citizens. The campaign will share information on public schools statewide, and encourage local residents to take part as well.

North Tama’s current school board members are Trisha Kennedy, Tiffany Feisel, Gretchen Pargeon, David Calderwood, Cheryl Popelka, Rod Zobel, and Doug Dvorak. When you see these leaders, please thank them for their dedication and their service to our school.

YOU can get involved in the campaign to support public education in Iowa, too! The “Promise of Iowa” website, www.promiseiowa.org, provides more information about how to get involved in the campaign and how to become an advocate for quality public education in Iowa. 

My SUPERINTENDENT NEWS & VIEWS columns, in addition to my blog and Twitter postings, are part of my plan for open communication with the community. As a part-time superintendent that also has duties in another school district, I believe that open and clear communication is more important than ever before. If you’ve missed any of my columns or would like to re-read or share them with your friends and family, you are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where they are all posted. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter (@DavidRobertHill) where I will occasionally post updates or other information not found on the blog.

Your support of North Tama Schools and of public education in Iowa is appreciated!  

FREE Literacy Resources for Parents

Imagine if there was a “one stop shop” where families could access free literacy resources for PreK-6th Grade children.  Now, imagine if parents and caregivers could use a search and filter tool to select specific types of resources, targeted literacy skills to work on, and an appropriate age range.  You don’t need to use your imagination any longer, as these resources exist and are just a click away. 

The Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC) has developed a wonderful website to provide these types of targeted resources. The website continues to be expanded regularly to meet the needs of children of all ages. This high-quality collection of over 200 learning activities, videos, articles and parent guides is a great resource families can use to practice and build critical reading skills.

IRRC is collaborating with educators and parents across Iowa to make a multitude of resources available for families on their website at http://www.iowareadingresearch.org/.  IRRC has worked extensively with trained educators and parents who have reviewed hundreds of resources for content, quality and accessibility. Only those resources receiving the highest ratings are hosted on the IRRC website. The resources are free and no log-in is required. Visitors can search the collection by literacy skill, age/grade, and resource type, or search by keyword to find learning tools that are just right for each and every child.

Whether your child is a struggling reader or is one of the most skilled readers in his or her class, he or she will benefit from the resources provided on this website and the time spent with parents or other adults while using these tools.  I encourage parents to visit the IRRC website regularly for current information and additional resources.

Parents and others who support children in their reading may also want to subscribe to the IRRC’s weekly blog at http://www.iowareadingresearch.org/blog/ Blog readers will learn more about the individual resources in the IRRC Family Resources Collection, get specific information how to best utilize the IRC family resources, and have the opportunity read about parents’ real-life experiences with using the tools from the collection.

You can also follow the Iowa Reading Research Center’s Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/IAReading or their Facebook posts at https://www.facebook.com/iowareadingresearchcenter. 

Whether you are a parent, grandparent, older sibling, daycare provider, or anyone else who supports young readers, I hope you will take advantage of these free, high-quality tools.

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. These SUPERINTENDENT NEWS & VIEWS columns, in addition to my blog and Twitter postings, are part of my plan for open communication with the community. As a part-time superintendent that also has duties in another school district, I believe that open and clear communication is more important than ever before. If you’ve missed any of my columns or would like to re-read or share them with your friends and family, you are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where they are all posted. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter (@DavidRobertHill) where I will occasionally post updates or other information not found on the blog.

Redhawk Reflections…A Look Back at 2016

Merry Christmas from North Tama! As our students and staff enjoy Christmas break and take in the final few days of the calendar year, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the milestones and major events that have taken place in the previous year.  While it is impossible for this column to comprehensively cover all of the important events of the previous year, I think once you’ve reviewed these highlights of you’ll agree that 2016 has been a year of tremendous change, growth, and accomplishment for our students, staff, and school district.

When I reflect on the year 2016, one of the things I’m most proud of is the way that the community came together to support the improvements at Dennis Field.  This community can be proud of the new restrooms, concession stand, fences and landscaping, scoreboard, press box improvements, sidewalks and other improvements which provide better access to those with disabilities. What a great way to show our support for the young athletes involved with our ever-improving football program, both now and in the future!

The improvements at Dennis Field are a reflection of the community's strong support of our school. Community volunteers, alumni, school staff members, students, parents, and area businesses came together to make this happen. Your financial support, along with the in-kind support received from numerous volunteers, has provided a first-rate facility that will be a source of pride for us all for generations to come. 

I’m also proud of our district’s accomplishments in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). During 2016, one elementary classroom was transformed into a learning space that is custom-tailored for integrated STEM and Literacy instruction, and all elementary classrooms are placing more of an emphasis on an integrated approach to Literacy and STEM. The results are obvious, as our elementary students are exhibiting more growth on literacy assessments than their peers in other school districts as a result of this approach.

North Tama has truly become a recognized leader in STEM education in recent years. Evidence of this can be seen in our partnerships with the University of Northern Iowa, as well as the number of other districts that have come to visit North Tama so that they can learn from our teachers as they work to emulate our success in their schools. 

To put the “icing on the cake,” our own Lisa Chizek was recognized recently by Governor Branstad as an Iowa Finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This award is among the nation's highest honors for teachers of math and science.

Financially, the district made great strides during 2016.  In August, your school board refinanced the district’s bonds that had been issued in 2010 as part of the building project which included the high school locker rooms, gym lobby, Junior High addition, and administrative offices.  The board was able to lock in one of the lowest interest rates we have seen in many years, which will save the district more than $225,000 over the remainder of the loan.

The district also initiated numerous staff sharing agreements with neighboring school districts during 2016. Our Family & Consumer Sciences teacher is now shared with Hudson, while our Agriculture teacher spends part of his day at Gladbrook-Reinbeck. Splitting the cost of these teachers will have a big financial impact for the long term.  Also during 2016, we started sharing our superintendent with Gladbrook-Reinbeck and our Transportation Director with Hudson. These shared positions allow us to benefit from sharing the costs of these employees AND provide additional revenue for the district in the form of sharing incentives from the state of Iowa.  While it is never fun to talk about reducing, sharing, or cutting staff, these measures will help us to maintain financial stability so that North Tama can continue to provide a quality education for many years in the future. 

One big change that occurred across Iowa in 2016 was the implementation Iowa’s new system of Teacher Leadership.  North Tama’s innovative system is one of the few in the state that provides full-time teacher leaders to work directly with STUDENTS who are struggling with barriers to success while also providing coaches and model teachers to assist TEACHERS in improving their instructional practices.  We’re very pleased with this new system and look forward to following the program’s success during the year 2017 and beyond.

The new school year brought a number of changes to our staff. With two teachers retiring, two teachers leaving their classrooms to move into full-time teacher leadership positions, and several other teachers moving on to other opportunities during 2016, North Tama started the year with NINE new teachers in the classrooms. These new teachers include Brady Swenson (JH Science & Social Studies), Austin Pink (HS PE), Mike Runge (JH & HS Math), Matt Walston (HS Social Studies), Tyson Roberts (JH & HS Social Studies), Mark Reeves (JH Special Ed), Alex Tagtow (HS Science), Alivia McClain (5th Grade Language Arts), and Katie Wedeking (JH & HS Language Arts). Our new teachers have already made great contributions to the learning community, and I look forward to them becoming seasoned leaders among our staff in the coming years.

Finally, I want to recognize our STUDENTS for their tremendous accomplishments in 2016. North Tama’s students continue to score among the top in the state and nation on their standardized tests and other measures, indicating their dedication to school and their commitment to success. 

Thirty-five students graduated in May as part of the class of 2016. These students earned well over $50,000 in local scholarships and I know that they will continue their accomplishments in college, the workforce, and in their communities in the years to come.  Our students have achieved so much success in the classroom, athletically, and in their other activities during 2016 that if I started to mention specific honors we’d need to add more pages to the Star Clipper. We look forward to following these students as they reach even greater levels of accomplishment in the coming year.  

Yes, 2016 has been a great year at North Tama. I’m so pleased to be part of a school system and community that truly values and supports its school, its students, and its educators.  I’m looking forward to the coming year with great anticipation -- May 2017 be North Tama’s best year yet!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. You are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my Star Clipper columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill. 

Are You Prepared for Winter Weather?

We’ve been blessed with reasonably good weather conditions since the school year started in August. Yes, there have been some foggy mornings where I’ve been up at 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. to make a safety assessment, but fortunately these instances didn’t require a change of schedule and the safest decision was to proceed with a regular day of school.

As I write this column, North Tama students haven’t missed a single hour of their learning time due to weather-related delays, early dismissals, or cancellations. Did you notice that I started that last sentence with the words, “As I write this column…”? As we all know, Iowa weather can be unpredictable so I thought it would be best to include that clause in my statement. 

While we do make it a priority to protect instructional time whenever possible, safety simply must come first.  There are times when changing our schedule at the last minute is simply the right thing to do for the safety of all.  Our school district is responsible for transporting hundreds of young people every day. We need to consider the safety of everyone concerned when making the decisions about school cancellations, delays, or early dismissals. 

As a child, I remember the anticipation and excitement when there was an approaching winter storm – hoping and wishing that maybe school would be canceled.  Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely loved school – but what child doesn’t enjoy an occasional surprise day off along with a chance to play in the snow? I recall sitting in front of the TV in the early morning on those wintery days, hoping my school’s name would appear among the list of schools having a delay or cancellation.

With modern technologies, we no longer need to sit by the TV or radio to know if school has been canceled or delayed. In previous years, many district patrons have subscribed to text alerts from KWWL Channel 7 or KCRG Channel 9 for this purpose.  In case you missed the announcements from these stations, KWWL & KCRG NO LONGER OFFER THIS SERVICE.  So, you will no longer receive texts from these TV stations and will need to find a new way to receive notifications. 

We will still submit this information to area media outlets to be broadcast on-screen and in radio announcements; however, the school has no control over how long it takes for our information to be posted on TV or announced on the radio. For those of you who prefer real-time notifications that are sent directly to you, North Tama utilizes a system called Powerschool Alert Solutions to send an instant text message or email when a decision needs to be announced. This system is available to anyone who may be interested, whether or not they have children in school. 

The link to subscribe is http://www.n-tama.k12.ia.us/textalerts and it only takes a minute to sign up. Parents of current North Tama Students DO NOT need to sign up via this weblink, as you are already part of our alert system. If you need to update your contact information or preferences, please don’t use the form on the website; instead, call 319-478-2265 and we will be glad to assist you.

While I’m not very accurate at predicting the weather, one thing we can all be sure of is that winter is approaching!  Be sure to get signed up for our text alerts today so you don’t miss out on an important announcement.

I continue to receive positive feedback on my SUPERINTENDENT NEWS & VIEWS columns in the Star Clipper. THANK YOU for your interest in North Tama schools! These newspaper columns, along with my blog and Twitter postings, are part of my plan for open communication with the community. As a shared superintendent who has duties in two different school districts, I believe that open communication is absolutely essential. If you’ve missed any of my columns or would like to re-read or share them with your friends and family, you are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where they are all posted. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter (@DavidRobertHill) where I will occasionally post updates or other information not found on the blog.

This blog post has been submitted for publication in the Traer Star Clipper.

Let’s Demand Equal Opportunity for ALL Iowa Students!!!

Election day is just around the corner in Iowa and across the nation. While the this year’s highly-publicized presidential race seems to get most of the media attention, don’t forget that there are other candidates on the ballot who seek your vote and the opportunity to represent and serve you on a more local level.

On November 8, Iowans will have the opportunity to cast a vote for one of the candidates hoping to serve as their state representative. Many state senate seats are also up for election. Many people don’t realize the importance of these Iowa House and Senate seats. In many ways, the decisions made by the IOWA legislature have a greater effect on our daily lives than do the votes of our U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators. 

Speaking as a school superintendent, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to make an endorsement or suggest that district patrons cast their votes in a certain way. However, I will say this:

If education is important to you –

If your local schools are important to you –

If the young people in our communities are important to you –

And if the future of Iowa is important to you –

…then I encourage you to visit with the candidates about educational issues and make sure you know where they stand (and that THEY know where YOU stand) in terms of support for our students and our schools.

Legislators often hear from school superintendents, administrators, teachers, and school board members. After a while, they likely get tired of hearing from those of us in the educational community. The legislature and the legislative candidates need to hear from parents, community members, and local business owners that our schools are valued and a vital part of our communities!

We hear a lot about equity and equal educational opportunity these days. I think it is generally agreed upon that regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, etc., our students deserve equal opportunities in our schools. Yet, there are inequities in the ways that Iowa’s schools are funded which have led to our students having unequal educational opportunities. In the following paragraphs, I’ll explain two such inequities: The inequity in per-student funding and the differences in funding available to spend on student learning due to district population density. 

INEQUITY IN PER-STUDENT FUNDING:

Iowa’s school funding formula has built-in inequities that impact school districts and the students they serve. Since, the 1970’s when the current school funding formula was established, North Tama has received the LOWEST amount of per-student funding possible. This isn’t something that our school board can control – the value is set by the state. While we do receive the exact same funding per-student as many districts in the state, just look at what some area districts have received, year after year, since the 1970’s:

Union:              $82 more per student than North Tama

Hudson:           $175 more per student than North Tama

BCL-UW:        $81 more per student than North Tama

Cedar Falls:     $7 more per student than North Tama

South Tama:    $20 more per student than North Tama

Across the state, there is a $175 range in basic per-student funding that exists just because “it has always been that way.” This means North Tama and many other districts have less to invest in each student from day one. Please ask the candidates to explain their feelings on this issue; and ask them to end this inequity immediately if they are elected.  Remind them that ALL of Iowa’s students are important assets for our future!

INEQUITY DUE TO POPULATION DENSITY: 

Districts serving a large rural area must spend more on transportation; therefore, they have less to spend on classroom instruction. There are districts in Iowa such as West Burlington (Total Land Area: 2 Square Miles) and Marion (Total Land Area: 3.6 Square Miles) that have very few students that even qualify daily for bussing because they live so close to the school. These districts spend virtually nothing on transportation compared to larger rural districts like North Tama (Total Land Area: 155 Square Miles).

In some urban and suburban districts, a bus can have enough stops in three or four miles to be filled to capacity, while in some rural districts a bus can travel three or four miles and only stop for the occasional stop sign. Yet, many rural districts are unable to reduce their number of bus routes due to state laws limiting the amount of time students can spend on the bus.

North Tama’s students deserve equal educational opportunities, yet districts like ours are forced to spend a higher percentage of our available funds on transportation leaving less money to provide these opportunities. Consider asking your legislative candidates their feelings about this transportation equity issue. I believe the Iowa legislature should be asked to provide an additional funding stream for transportation or use a formula based on population density when determining Supplemental State Aid.

Our rural students represent the future of Iowa. No matter where they live, they deserve equal access to a top-notch education! Each and every one of them deserves a quality education regardless of whether they live in one of Iowa’s large metro areas, a growing suburb, or in a rural area that may be losing population. Your advocacy is more important now than ever before. An election is a great opportunity to talk face to face with those who seek to represent you, to find out where they stand on the issues, and to express your feelings to the candidates.

I’m sure there are other issues – many of them unrelated to education – that are also important to you. I encourage you to exercise your rights as a citizen by visiting with the candidates and finding out where they truly stand on the issues that matter most to you. And then…by all means…go out on November 8 and VOTE! 

You are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/ where this column and all of the columns I have written for the Star Clipper are posted. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill. 

This blog post has been submitted for publication in the Traer Star Clipper.