Le Mars Community School Foundation To Host Awards Banquet
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community School District Foundation will host its annual awards banquet this evening at the Le Mars Convention Center. The awards program will honor Mary Beth Benton, the middle school instrumental music instructor as the Decades of Excellence Crystal Bell Teacher of the Year recipient. In addition to the chrystal bell and certificate of honor, Benton will receive a cash gift of $500, plus another $500 to be used for her classroom. The program will also honor its two Distinguished Le Mars Community Alumni, Glada Koerselman and Dr. Paul Summerside. Koerselman was the former editor of the Le Mars Daily Sentinel, and Summerside, a medical doctor from Wisconsin. The awards banquet will also honor those seniors that are among the top five percent of their class.
Le Mars Community School To Change Six Grade Program
(Le Mars) — The transition from elementary grades to middle school is often times difficult, particularly for six grade students. During the recent Le Mars Community School Board meeting, Middle School principal Steve Shanks, along with many of the six grade teachers delivered a report to the school board showing a new proposed program schedule. Shanks says there is a difference between middle school and junior high. He says at the seventh and eighth grade levels there are more classes, and it is a more rigid and disciplined class schedule, taking on a look that is similar to high school.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/April 2014/Shanks1.mp3{/audio}
Shanks informed the school board that according to an educational research study, there are seven ways to make a successful middle school.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/April 2014/Shanks2.mp3{/audio}
Shanks says the sixth grade teachers have modified their focus of curriculm and schedule to best reflect the goals of the new program. He says the new program will be implemented for next school year. Students will have literacy and mathematics classes every day, but science and social studies will now be offered on an every other day basis. Shanks says literacy classes consist of both reading and writing language skills. Shanks says the trade off is students will devote more class-time minutes towards literacy and mathematics than what they have this year, which hopefully will mean higher academic scores.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/April 2014/Shanks3.mp3{/audio}
Students Visit Plymouth County Historical Museum
(Le Mars) — More than 300 fourth grade students, along with their teachers and chaperones from the Plymouth County schools, got a brief history lesson Tuesday as they visited the Plymouth County Historical Museum as part of the annual May Day at the Museum celebration. This was the 14th year for the field trip celebration. For many students, it was their first time visiting the museum. A portion of the history lessons involved learning about Pioneer life and those pioneers who first settled Plymouth County, and as a result there were several students who were dressed back in time to reflect the 1800’s. The students learned about the Loess Hills, along with the wildlife that either today, or at one time, roamed Plymouth County. Other areas of focus was on the changes of agriculture through the ages, and students also learned how the railroad was instrumental in the settlement of Plymouth County communities by viewing the model railroad exhibit. Students saw how their ancestors learned in school by visiting the one-room school house exhibit. Students got a history lesson by visiting the various displays that showcase past Le Mars businesses. Students also learned about the tradition of dancing around the May pole in the Old Central gymnasium.
Wasmer Post #241 To Host District Legion Convention
(Le Mars) — Wasmer Post #241 of the American Legion, Department of Iowa, based in Le Mars, will host the annual Iowa 9th District Spring Conference on Saturday, May 3rd. Meetings will be held all day Saturday at the Wasmer Post Home at 110 Plymouth Street SW and at the Rock Solid Assembly Church at 126 3rd Street SW. Elections will be held for District Officers, Delegates and Alternates to the National Convention, and for the Department Liaison Committee. Representatives of the Legion, Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, and American Legion Riders will be in attendance. The 9th District is comprised of 92 Posts located in 13 counties (Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickenson, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sac, Sioux, and Woodbury).
Soderberg Believes Wednesday (today) Will Be Final Day Of Legislative Session
(Des Moines) — The Iowa legislature is working overtime hoping to wrap up their work and go home. Le Mars state representative Chuck Soderberg says today may be the final day of work.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/April 2014/CSoderberg1.mp3{/audio}
The $1.9 billion Health and Human Service budget was sent to Gov. Terry Branstad Tuesday without the funding to reopen the Iowa Juvenile Home that Democrats wanted.
Lawmakers will continue to work toward agreement on other budget bills today.
They passed a few policy bills to the governor including a measure defining elder abuse in Iowa and creating a process for elders to obtain protective orders. Also sent to Branstad is a bill that bans the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors.
Two of Branstad’s priority measures – anti-bullying legislation and broadband expansion – have stalled but could re-emerge as amendments on other bills.
