Earth Day 2024

On April 22, 1970, 10% of the US population participated in the first Earth Day. This celebration had far-reaching implications. In fact, the government founded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and created a variety of environmental laws thanks to this first Earth Day.

Today, Earth Day is the world’s largest secular holiday. More than 1 billion people celebrate it every year across the globe.

Earth Day 2024 Resources:

Do you like saving the environment?  Do you like virtual escape rooms?  Then the bundle at this link will be for you!  Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook, releases an email newsletter 3 time each week.  The bundle is for 'subscriber appreciation'.  If you are interested in subscribing to his newsletter, the information is below.  

 Subscribe for free •  Listen to this as a podcast •  Browse our template library

In addition, below is a Wakelet Board with activities for K-2, 3-5, Middle School, and High School students.

Earth Day Wakelet Board

Iowa State Water Rocks!   Looking for a fun way to celebrate Earth Day on April 22? The Rock Your Watershed! Game Challenge is a FREE, one-day-only competition for Iowa schools. Your students will get to develop their own watershed via our award-winning Rock Your Watershed! computer game. Think SimCity meets Minecraft! Select your land use for each piece of land – try to balance both environmental and economic impacts to earn a high score! Participants will be representing their classroom, and not as individuals. CLICK Here to start Kami - 15 Earth Day Activities for Kids of All Ages Click Here Solar Oven Challenge  Build a solar oven with your students or family using NEED's directions, or design your own oven. Use your solar oven to melt cheese for nachos, heat up a hot dog, or make s'mores!                         Written directions

• NEED's Climate Science guides provide great background information and hands-on activities!

• Understanding Climate Science includes:Land Ice/Sea Ice - activity to learn the effects sea and land ice have on sea level, when melted.

• Carbon In My Life - learn how CO2 emissions occur throughout a product's life cycle.

• Carbon Footprint - quantify and describe your individual carbon footprint.We've also got Today in Energy, Talking Trash, Plug Loads, and more in NEED's suite of energy efficiency and conservation guides.

Quiz and Calculate with your Students! Plastic Pollution Quiz Carbon Footprint Calculator Water Footprint Calculator

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.. AND UPCYCLE Recycling has many benefits, but deciding to recycle is just the first step. You'll want to ensure you recycle items correctly! What is recyclable depends on your area. Do a quick online search or make a call to your local government or recycling provider and learn more on how to recycle common household items here. Did You Know? Recycling one ton of office paper can save the energy equivalent of consuming 322 gallons of gasoline. Recycling just one ton of aluminum cans conserves more than 152 million Btu, the equivalent of 1,024 gallons of gasoline or 21 barrels of oil consumed. Recycling just 10 plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours. Paper makes up 23 percent of municipal solid waste (trash) generated each year, more than any other material.  Source: United States EPA

Energy Conservation Contract In this outreach activity, students learn about energy conservation and ask their families to sign contracts in which they agree to save energy. Students then calculate the energy savings, and re-evaluate their conservation measures. Free PDF download

End of School Year Contract Days

The Southeast Polk Board of Education passed a motion on April 4th that indicated the last day of school for students will remain May 24, 2024.  Below is the timeline for the remaining days of the school year. 

May 24th: Last day of school for students 

May 27th: Memorial Day-No School

May 28th: District PD Day- ½ District/ ½ Building  

• District Focus: School Improvement

May 29th: Building Day (Makeup Day #1)

May 30th: Teacher Work Day

May 31st: Flexible Learning (Makeup Day #2)

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May 29th (Makeup Day #1) will take place at the buildings. 

May 31st (Makeup Day #2) may take place after contract hours prior to May 31st, or teachers may come to the building that day to complete their plan.

Teacher teams will work with their building principals to design a plan that best meets the needs of teams, grade levels, subject areas, and buildings.

The PD Steering Committee requested that we share the courses available on the Southeast Polk University platform should that be an option that is considered.  Below are the courses.  The catalog may be accessed at Southeast Polk University.

Dr. Luis Cruz at Southeast Polk on April 17th

As we celebrate National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month during the month of April, we are excited to welcome Dr. Luis Cruz to Southeast Polk this Wednesday, April 17th. 

Luis F. Cruz, PhD, is a sought-after presenter, coach, thought leader, and accomplished author in the field of education. His over 30 years of practical experience as a teacher and an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, coupled with his ability to effectively communicate research-based approaches focused on the need to ensure high levels of learning for all students, has earned him acknowledgment and praise from an array of education communities around the country.

Born to immigrant parents from South America, Dr. Cruz blends his experience as an English Learner raised in a low-income community in Los Angeles with his professional experience and insight to advocate the need for public school educators to acknowledge that there is a disconnect between our inherited and antiquated public school system and the diverse student population we aim to serve today. He, therefore, advocates that public school educators learn and commit to redesigning a school system never designed to ensure high levels of learning for all the students in schools and classrooms across our country.

In addition to being an accomplished and highly desired keynote speaker, Dr. Cruz has established a skilled and effective manner for helping audiences, both small and large, learn about the Professional Learning Community at Work® and Response to Intervention at Work™ processes, transformational leadership, school culture, the role of a guiding coalition, and creating environments conducive to the success of students learning English as an additional language—to name a few of the themes for which he is contacted.

Dr. Cruz is the best-selling author of Time for Change: Four Essential Skills for Transformational School and District Leaders, which he co-authored with Dr. Anthony Muhammad, and is currently working on several books focused on strengthening multitiered systems of support for student intervention and enhancing learning outcomes for emergent bilingual students.

April 17th Professional Learning Schedule

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM                                            Secondary Staff

All secondary staff, please report to the HS Auditorium and be ready to begin at promptly 8:00 AM. 

English Learner teachers, Curriculum Coordinators, Principals, and District Leaders will meet with Dr. Cruz throughout the day.

2:00 PM - 3:15 PM                                            Elementary Staff

All elementary staff should report to the JH Auditorium and be ready to begin promptly at 2:00 PM.  We realize that due to dismissal times, not all teachers will be able to get to the Jr. High by 2:00.  We will also have a virtual option available at buildings.  More information on this will be shared tomorrow.

For those coming to the Jr. High, you will need to find places to park that do not include the Yellow Brick Road area (Buses start lining up at 2:30; students dismissed at 2:45).  The JH will have the doors unlocked that are directly west of the auditorium so that teachers will not need to walk through the entire building to get to the auditorium. Please use the bathrooms by the entrance door (west side) as many students will be using the bathrooms on the south side of the auditorium at the end of the day. We realize that this is at the end of the day, but if you are able to carpool with colleagues, this will reduce traffic at the busy dismissal time. 

We appreciate everyone's flexibility and we look forward to learning from Dr. Cruz on Wednesday! 

Preparing for the Solar Eclipse

The second part of an eclipse 'double-header' will be occurring on Monday, April 8th. The first one was on October 14, 2023 (annular or 'ring of fire' eclipse). The eclipse on Monday will be a total eclipse. This is a great opportunity to inspire curiosity and interest in earth and space science as well as deepen understanding of the science standards. Today's blog includes educational resources from our PK-12 Science Coordinator, Jim Pifer, and precautions to take to make sure that those who do observe the eclipse do so safely.

Iowa Core Science Standards

1-ESS1-1. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.

5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.

MS-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons

HS-ESS1-4. Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system. 

Eclipse Safety and Tracking

Eclipse Safety  

Eclipse Timing and Trackers

Solar Eclipse Explore Board

Solar Eclipse Teacher Lesson Resource Links

Mystery Science Mini-lesson

Lego Solar Eclipse Activities

PLTW Learning Activities

Download guides for educators, admins, and households.

Take part in citizen science projects for the event.

Find culturally responsive and accessible resources.

 Experience the Event 

Take part virtually.

Hear it from afar.

Feel what it’s like.

Journal Articles

Science & Children • Elementary

• The Upcoming Solar Eclipses: Suggestions for Engaging Your Students in "Phenomenal" Experiences
• Exploring Eclipses
• Looking Toward the Skies
• The Poetry of Science: Solar Eclipse
• The Astronomical Event of the Decade

Science Scope • Middle School

• Hurrah for Teachable Moments
• Preparing for the Great American Eclipse of 2024
• The 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipse Double-Header
• Transitioning from Partial to Total Understanding
• Making the Most of the Upcoming Solar Eclipse Double-Header October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024
• Megamovie 2024: A Project to Eclipse All Others

The Science Teacher • High School

• Sounds in Sunlight: Blind Students Hear Solar Eclipse
• Making the Most of the Upcoming Solar Eclipse Double-Header: October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024
• The 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipse Double-Header
• Preparing for the Great American Eclipse of 2024

Remember, safety first, but encourage curiosity, observation, and learning as we prepare for the upcoming eclipse!

Helping Students Get Ready to Show Their Learning on ISASP

 As in previous years, practice tests for ISASP are available on the state site under the tab 'Test Preparation'. The purpose of the practice test is to provide an opportunity for students to navigate the test platform, practice solving items online, and become familiar with using the available online tools.  It can help students feel more confident in a testing situation.  This site may also be shared with families.

While there are many benefits, the time spent in practice will provide value for learning only if we respond to the information.  We might respond instructionally with further review, more practice, or more intensity. We might respond as a system through unit design, sequence, or pacing.  It is important to find a balance between instruction and practice tests.

There are new tools available this year to support this balance. These include tables for standards alignment and practice scoring.

Each practice test aligns the item numbers with the standard being measured.   Below is an example for Grade 6 Reading.

In addition, scoring of the practice test provides preliminary estimates of student proficiency.  Below are examples for Reading, Math, and Science.

Please contact Rob Timmins or anyone on the Teaching and Learning team for any questions or support with upcoming ISASP assessments. 

Elementary Collaboration

Elementary Collaboration is scheduled for this Wednesday, March 27th from 2:30 PM-4:00 PM.  Below is the schedule for the afternoon.

Wednesday, March 27, 2:30-4:00 Elementary Job Alike
K-5 Math Teachers (Classroom, Special Ed., Title I Math, TAG), Instructional Coaches, and Principals	Location:  Clay Elementary	We will learn about i-Ready Math resources and tools to increase student engagement while delivering quality instruction that meets the needs of all learners.   Teachers will need to bring their SEP laptop and a writing utensil. See Sched for the schedule and your sessions.
Art, Music, PE, Reading Specialists, Title I Reading, Teacher Librarians, ESOL	Location:  Four Mile Elementary Library	We will learn about AI and how to use MagicSchool tools to increase student engagement and productivity in Core instruction. Please bring your laptop to the session.
Preschool Teachers	Location: TLRC	Will meet as a PLC with Jackie White.
Counselors	Location: Centennial Elementary	Will meet as a PLC with Amy Anderson.

We look forward to collaborating on Wednesday!