9/4/23 Newsletter
Mrs. Lorraine Duitsman ~ Interim Principal ~ Glenwood High School, 9/4/23 Newsletter
Dear Parent and Student,
Happy Labor Day! On June 28, 1894, President Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday. "Labor Day pays tribute to our nation's strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker". Thank you to our community members and educators for your service.
Whether students' career goals begin with entry directly into the workforce, joining a branch of the military, a trade school or program, or college, we strive to prepare students for their futures by supporting them with career planning and career pathway explorations. At GHS, we have a wide array of programs helping students think about their career goals: IJAG (Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates), Avenue Scholars, IWCC coursework, career and technical coursework, Xello career surveys, and much more!
Thank you for being part of our wonderful community and high school and choosing to send your student to Glenwood High School! Below are some updates and reminders for the week.
Quotes to think about:
“The future depends upon what you do today” –Mahatma Gandhi
“Success at anything will always come down to this: focus and effort. And we control both.” –Dwayne Johnson
Last week:
Students participated in a bus evacuation drill. A special thanks to Mr. Frank Bachman, the transportation department, and local law enforcement for assisting with our drill practice.
Teachers and students began using FlexiSched, an application that assists us with our RAMS Time Intervention Scheduling. Each day, students check what “Flex” offerings are available from our teacher provided offerings: Re-teaching, Reassessment, Office Hours, Enrichment/Clubs, and Study Hall. For example, this week, seniors will be invited to a “Flex” offering to learn about School Traditions ordering of caps, gowns, and senior items. The FlexiSched program assists us with attendance and ensures students can move around our building during intervention to get the support that meets their needs. Reminder: Students should have an independent reading book to read when not called for a “Flex” intervention and when they are finished with practice work for class.
Legislative Update:
Mrs. Duitsman provided two optional student sessions for Q&A with students about current education legislation. During these sessions, the following was discussed related to specific legislation affecting students:
Reading Materials: Content that is not suitable for student age / grade level and which pertains to explicit material may not be made available to students in schools.
Preferred Names: Principals must report to parents/guardians any student request of a school employee to use a name different or pronoun from their gender and legal name in Powerschool. As the Interim HS principal, I send notifications to parents/guardians requesting parents complete a form to approve or deny the request. This does not include names that are forms of the student’s given name listed in Powerschool (e.g. John for Johnathan). Once approval is granted, names are updated in Powerschool. Again, this is not for versions of names that are the same gender and of a version of the name listed in Powerschool.
Student Discipline: Schools must include in student discipline opportunities for students to learn from their misbehavior. Currently, we offer many avenues for students to receive learning when misbehavior occurs. For example, our school has counselors, an SEL (social emotional liaison), and a student success supervisor who utilizes a program called “Ripple Effects,” which promotes positive behavioral and mental health.
Bullying and Harassment: Legislative changes now provide teachers even greater rights with reporting bullying and harassment directly to parents/guardians vs. just reporting it to administration. At GHS, we take any act of bullying or harassment very seriously, and follow up with an investigation and protective measures.
We follow our Board Procedure and utilize the following reporting form. Steps are taken to de-escalate student conflict and keep students safe: schedule changes, pass limits, taking disciplinary action, conflict resolution, etc. If you are aware of bullying or harassment, report it right away to the building administrator: Mr. Faust (Dean of Students) or Mrs. Duitsman (Interim Principal).
For a full listing of Legislative Changes affecting education and legal language, see this link: Legislative Updates.
Students of the Week:
Congratulations to this week’s “Students of the Week.” At GHS, we recognize and celebrate positive behaviors by sharing “Good Things,” sending student postcards home, and recognizing students who demonstrate behaviors aligned with our core values of “Respect, Achieve and Improve, Make an Effort, and Serve Others.”
Have a great week RAM Nation! Reach out if you have questions. We are here to help and welcome your feedback.
Every day is a great day to be a RAM,
Lorraine Duitsman
GHS Interim Principal