THIS WEEK IN OUR SCHOOLS OCTOBER 17 - OCTOBER 21, 2016 | MCSD COMMUNICATIONS

Scroll down to see our students and staff in action This Week in Our Schools!

Featured this week:

  • Colorado: PTO Fall Fundraiser Celebration!
  • Franklin: 3rd and 5th Grade Franklinsteins!
  • Franklin: Miss. Harders' Kindergarten Class.
  • Franklin: Mrs. Machael's 3rd Grade Class.
  • Grant: Miss Dindinger's / Mrs. Minder's Begindergarten Class.
  • Grant: Grant Dolphins Celebrate Principal Caffery's Birthday!
  • Grant: Tailgate Party!
  • Grant: Mrs. Doane's and Mrs. Pauls' 4th Grade Classes.
  • Jefferson: Family Math Night.
  • Jefferson: Mrs. Reifert's 2nd Grade Class.
  • Jefferson: Tailgate Party.
  • Madison: Mrs. Godden-Alloway's Reading Class.
  • Madison: Mrs. Woods' 2nd Grade Class.
  • McKinley: Mrs. Strouf's 1st Grade Class.
  • Mulberry: Mrs. Story's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Class.
  • Mulberry: Teachers Share About Growth Mindset.
  • District-Wide Middle School: Masquerade Orchestra
  • CMS: 6th Graders and J.A.'s BizTown!
  • WMS: Mr. Mathis' Group - Outside Beauty Duty.
  • MHS: Key Club.
  • MHS: Speech and Debate.
  • MHS: Gifted and Talented Competition Prep.
  • MHS: Work Experience Students and Staff.
  • MHS: Silver Cord Volunteer Students.
  • MHS: Muskie Senior Football Players.

COLORADO ELEMENTARY

In celebration of the students reaching their goal to sell 10,000 raffle tickets, Colorado staff got to "enjoy" the dunk tank on a nice, cloudy, chilly fall day. Way to go Colorado Tigers!

And here is kindergarten teacher, Lynn Hines, as she takes a "splash" for the students!

FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY

Below are 3rd and 5th graders with their "Franklinsteins." The students drew their "Franklinsteins" then wrote a scary story about them and read their stories to their class.

"Franklinsteins"

Miss Harder's kindergarten friends practices using ten frames with a sweet treat!

Candy corn for math problem solving!

Ms. Machael’s 3rd grade class is currently learning about the human skeletal system. They are learning bone names and functions of the human skeleton. To begin their investigation they put together a Mr. Bones skeleton puzzle.

3rd graders learn about the human skeleton.

GRANT ELEMENTARY

Begindergarten students in Miss Dindinger's/Mrs. Minder’s class got to go on a field trip to the Red Barn Pumpkin Farm!

Grant Dolphins all celebrated Mrs. Caffery "s first birthday as their principal!! Grant staff surprised her and insisted that she wear her birthday glasses, tiara, and her Captain Caffery sailor hat!!

Happy Birthday Mrs. Caffery!

Grant Elementary had a tailgate party on Friday, October 14 to sharpen the saw and to promote reading. Families and staff enjoyed food provided by Hy-Vee, games, face painting, dancing and free books and bookmarks! Fun was had by all!!

Grant's Tailgate Party helped "sharpen the saw" and was a great success!

Students in Mrs. Paul's and Mrs. Doane's 4th grade science classes at Grant observed the life cycle of the mealworm.

Learning about mealworms in 4th Grade!

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY

Over 50 students and their families attended Jefferson’s Math Build It Night on Wednesday, October 19. In partnership with the Bettendorf Family Museum, students had a chance to explore nine different hands-on activities focusing on two and three dimensional shapes, building structures, spatial reasoning and patterns. Snacks were provided by Hy-Vee Food Stores and Fareway.

Jefferson's Family Math Build-It Night!

Mrs. Reifert's 2nd graders building community awareness through Junior Achievement activities and ...

Learning about our community through J.A.

... working together during morning reading block.

2nd grade readers at Jefferson Elementary.

One of the district's many Lego Teams volunteered at Jefferson's Family Math Build It Night. They worked diligently to help Jefferson families create 3D structures made out of newspaper dowels.

Lego Team volunteers at Jefferson' Family Math Build-it Night.

Jefferson students in Mr. Loos' 3rd grade class visited Blackhawk State Park and are learning about crayfish in science!

Blackhawk State Park and Crayfish - it's what's happening in 3rd grade at Jefferson!

Jefferson families and staff participated in a tailgating party in support of the Muskies! Go Muskies!

Tailgating fun at Jefferson! Go Muskies!

MADISON ELEMENTARY

Students in Mrs. Godden-Alloway's reading class made sight word "look" glasses along with booklets.

"Look" at my glasses!

Second graders in Mrs. Wood's class at Madison read stories about gardening and sharing during the week. On Friday they shared vegetable soup and read several versions of the folktale Stone Soup.

Stone Soup anyone?

MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY

First Graders in Mrs. Strouf's class at McKinley got to enjoy an awesome play "Sleeping Beauty" put on by The Windy City Players" from Chicago! Also, many of Mrs. Strouf's first graders met their reading goal for October and are showing off their "Goal Met" necklaces!!

1st Graders in Mrs. Strouf's Class.

MULBERRY ELEMENTARY

Donut you know...that learning place values are more delicious when you can eat them?! Marissa Lopez does and it was delicious! *Math support with Ms. Story's Deaf and Hard of Hearing class.

Donuts and Math! Sounds like a great combination!

Mrs. Welsch, Mrs. Day, Mrs. Trego talk about Growth Mindset to Mulberry students and show their paintings.

Learning about growth mindset.

DISTRICT-WIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Each middle school had their own Orchestra Masquerade Concerts this week. Students dressed up in costume and played spooky music for family and friends. They all did a wonderful job on their first concert of the year!

Middle School Masquerade Concert.

CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Sixth graders at Central had the opportunity to attend JA Biztown and tour Muscatine businesses this week. JA BizTown is a 10,000 square foot kid-sized city in Davenport. Several weeks of classroom learning culminates in a day-long visit to this fully-interactive simulated free market lab where students become adults for a day. By working in one of 15 JA BizTown shops, students learn what it takes to run a successful business, manage a checking account and work as a team. Students also had the chance to tour local businesses and meet leaders from CBI Bank & Trust, HON, City Hall, Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA) and Musser Public Library. Thank you to all those who took time out of their busy schedules so that we could learn more about our community.

Factory workers Peyton Crumly, Jazmariah Jones, and Tyler Waack assemble products to sell to BizTown citizens.
Mayor Robert Carver congratulates members of the business of the day- Factory.
Sports Shop CEO Joe Madison gives his opening speech to let BizTown citizens know what his shop has to offer them.
Sports Shop CEO Joe Madison gives his opening speech to let BizTown citizens know what his shop has to offer them.
​CBI's Christina Lopez shows students the safety deposit vault.​
MCSA Director Charla Schafer shows students one of the newly decorated family s​uites in the homeless shelter.
The D.J. is in the house!
Business meeting before opening for the day.
Working hard at the sports shop!
​​There's always time to catch up with a good book and good friends!
Muscatine's Mayor, Diana Broderson, answers questions from students.
​Students had the opportunity to tour City Hall and ride a city bus!

WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

Mr. Mathis' homeroom group "Outside Beauty Duty" repainted the four square lines. Different interest groups take place once a week during homeroom time and allows students to pick groups that they are interested in exploring.

MUSCATINE HIGH SCHOOL

On Friday, October 14th, members of MHS Key Club participated in Cardboard Overnight to raise money and awareness for the Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA). Seventeen students listened to MCSA employee Charla Schafer speak about those in need in our community and how MCSA is working to help them. Students (and three advisors) then participated in several different empathy-building activities including sleeping outside overnight in cardboard houses.

MHS Key Club members who participated were: Alicial Martel, Chrstian Aguirre, Aubrey Castellanos, Abbey Sampson, Reagyn Niles, Dillon Estabrook, Sami Pratt, Emma Harden, Shelby Little, Gloria Neda, Logan Wiley, Ridge Wolfe, Marcos Bautista, Abby Haller, Saul O'Campo, and Brina Kraft.

MHS Speech and Debate team did great at their recent competition! Novice Abbie Haller took 13th out of 46. Jeremiah Daniels took 14th out of 46. Novices Kevin Aguilar and Madi Anderson was two spots away from breaking to finals. Wyatt Foor was one spot away from breaking to finals. Novice Daniel Salazar was three spots away from breaking to finals. Great job!

MHS Speech and Debate Team.

GT students, Brian Prussman, Sarah Oyervides, Lauren Lettington and Chloe Finn, begin responding to the first practice problem for the Future Problem Solving competition. They, along with multiple other teams in the district, have been researching and discussing educational disparities for this practice problem.

MHS Gifted and Talented students prepare for competition.

Seventy-nine students and staff from Muscatine High School took advantage of the beautiful weather last Tuesday, Oct 11th, to clean up trash along Highway 38 north of Muscatine. The MHS Work Experience Program continued the tradition of sponsoring the bi-yearly event to help beautify the northern entrance to our fair city.

(Top LtoR) Ditch Work – Marcus Holler’s Hoard spreads out to cover the northeast section of the assigned area along Highway 38 north of Muscatine; Kelly Robison's Crew. (Bottom LtoR): Laura Koch and Carol McKillips' Crew; Heather Brossart's Crew.

After a couple of hours walking and picking up trash in the road ditches, everyone headed to Weed Park. The park has always been a good destination to enjoy a pizza lunch and to spend some time with friends after a vigorous morning of work.

(Left): Students (L-R) Caroline Kramer – Carson Carroll – Melissa Alvarado enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Sunrise Shelter in Weed Park before returning to MHS. (Right): Matt Clark, senior at MHS, lines up to get a slice of HyVee Pizza from Ms. Shannon Kelsey after a good morning of work.

Students and staff then enjoyed a friendly game of kick ball to celebrate a job well done!

Mr. Holler, all-star kick-ball pitcher, sends a pitch towards home plate while the outfield readies for action.
With royal determination Queen Katie Hanssen makes contact with the ball and takes off behind it heading down the first base line hoping to send in the runner on third.

We’re glad to report that the amount of trash was lighter this year but we still filled up plenty of trash bags and improved the appearance to northern entrance to Muscatine.

Great job MHS Work Experience students and staff!

MHS Students earn Silver Cord Hours volunteering at the Clifford the Big Red Dog Family Reading Night at Jefferson Elementary.

MHS Silver Cord Student Volunteers.

As tradition holds, the night before the last football game of the year, Senior players are honored with a video as a send off for their last game as a Muskie. Below is this year's Senior Muskies!

Thank you to all staff who submitted pictures and videos!

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