News from Principal Burg

Thank you for your increased attention to ensure a safe and efficient system for pick-up. As you've noticed, double parking has been excluded in order to allow students to enter vehicles without crossing the traffic of double parked vehicles. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, students, and teachers and will continue to implement the new system indefinitely. In addition, it is imperative that we do not block the two parking spaces reserved for drivers with handicapped registration. You may notice that we will continue to highlight these spaces with bright orange cones. Many parents have found it to be more efficient to park on 56th or further east on Robertson and walk to the front doors to meet a student. Other parents of older students have simply identified a general area on either street where the student will always walk to upon dismissal. Regardless of your individual plan, students are safer and pick-up has been much smoother as a result of your efforts. Thank you for your continued attention to this positive adjustment.

Merrill Transition Activities for Incoming 6th graders:
Spring and Fall 2011

Date	Event
April 19th 9:30-10:00am	Merrill staff will visit Hanawalt students to talk about life at Merrill and answer questions.
April 25th & 26th 9:30-10:30am	Fifth graders will visit Merrill to meet the staff, take tours and become familiar with the building.
May 5th 7:00pm	Fifth grade students and parents are invited to attend an informational meeting at Merrill.
August 25th 1st day of school	Team building and transition activities will be scheduled to help students become acclimated to the building, staff and students.
Open House	To Be Announced

Please note that “Success 4 Sixth Grade” has been cancelled for Merrill Students due to construction at Merrill this summer. If you have any questions, please contact Carla Ridgely-Turner at Merrill, 242-8361 or email her at carla.ridgely-turner@dmps.k12.ia.us Thank you.

Letter from the PTA Co-Presidents

April means May is coming and that means we only have about two more months of school left. Yikes! How did it go so fast? The last day of school is June 3.

Your Hanawalt PTA is already looking ahead to next year and already has its new leaders and board in place. Mary Mouw and Rose Green have kindly offered to co-chair the PTA for the 2011-2012 school year and they been meeting for weeks with Principal Burg and others so they get off to a roaring start. Mary and Rose will greet new parents at Kindergarten roundup on April 20 here at school.

Here is the Need-to-Know List for April:

• Plant sale orders were taken and the delivery date is set for May 13. You can pick up your flowers and plants at school. If you did not get an order in, we should have some extras that day so please stop by and see what is available.



• We need your school photos! The Hanawalt yearbook is being put together now. If you have any photos, either on your digital camera or your phone of school events or gatherings, please send them to teacher Kelly Carpenter at Kelly.carpenter@dmps.k12.ia.us. The deadline for yearbook orders has been extended to April 11. Standard yearbooks are $15 and personalized (student name and photo on the over) are $20. If you have lost your form, please write your student’s name, teacher and amount enclosed on an envelope and place in the PTA mailbox. If you have questions, please contact Lisa Russell at lisa@scubacreative.com.



• Check backpacks soon for information about Hanawalt Spirit Wear. Samples have been ordered and will be hanging up at school in mid-April.



• The next RIF distribution will be Friday, April 8. All students will have a chance to select a book of their choice to take home. There will be one more RIF day before the end of the year for a total of three distributions. RIF is a federally subsidized program that is supplemented by PTA funds to put books in the hands of students.



• Send in your spring school photos or send the images back with your student. They are to be returned to classroom teachers.


• Order forms for school supplies will come home in the registration packet in May. This allows you to pre-order all the supplies your child needs for the year and it arrives at his/her desk on Meet-the-Teacher night in August. Parents who have done it in the past loved it and it’s a fundraiser for the PTA.



• Kid Striders will be wrapping up this month with a celebratory run at the Drake Relays. More information will be coming home soon about the event.

If you have any questions about upcoming events or anything about life here at Hanawalt, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can contact Martha Miller Johnson at 480-1583 or marthamillerjohnson@gmail.com or
Lisa Russell at 210-3052 or Lisa@scubacreative.com

Fourth Grade News

On Tuesday, March 1st, the fourth graders at Hanawalt Elementary School took a field trip to the Science Center. They enjoyed learning about the great artist, scientist, and inventor, Leonardo DaVinci. “I didn’t know that he invented that much,” said some of the fourth graders. Students were able to experience many “hands-on” activities in the Discovery Room, connecting their learning to several different scientific topics. The trip was concluded with a visit to the planetarium where students were able to learn about stars and constellations they should be able to see from their homes. Students were able to connect this information to the solar system unit they have been studying in school. Fourth grade thanks its PTA for providing the funds so students could have this enjoyable learning experience at the Science Center.

Fifth Grade Celebration News - photo deadline April 13, 2011

Gorgeous 20-page full color Creative Memories Storybook of our Oscar-winning 5th graders will be given as a gift at graduation to each student....and we'll be showing a "Feature Film" (aka slide show with music) on June 3 at the ceremony. If you have a current 5th grader, your Hanawalt images and pictures of that child at school from Kindergarten to 5th grade are WANTED! If you have five pictures or less, email them full-size to HanawaltPhotos@gmail.com by April 13. If you have 5 or more photos, copy them to a disk (that will not be returned to you) and place in the PTA mailbox. Deadline to be included in the book: April 13. We'd love to have YOUR CHILD featured on many pages of this keepsake memory book! Questions: Beth Steffensen bethsteffensen@dwx.com or 515-313-3930.

Structured Learning Classroom

The Structured Learning Classroom is incorporating computer technology for learning hand writing skills. The program is called TV Teacher and teaches upper and lower case alphabet writing. The children are engaged in learning how to form the letters by following verbal and visual stimulus to independently write letters on a white board. The students are actively engaged in their skill development.

Music News

Spring has sprung in the music room. We are singing, moving and playing instruments to the sounds of spring. Rain songs, rabbit stories and kite flying poems. Watch for Mallet Madness coming soon for 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade music classes.

You may also hear about a new person in the music room. We are pleased to welcome Miss Kness, our student teacher.

April is also the time for the Des Moines Public Schools All City Honor Chorus. Students must be in 4th or 5th grade in order to participate. Hanawalt has thirteen students who auditioned and also were part of the Hanawalt Chorus this Fall. They are; Isaac Anderson, Katie Baumert, Karsyn Beers, Jessica Bolten, Wyatt Johnson, Arielle Ozimek, Anne Percival, Ben Russell, Opal Rustad, Emma Shanahan, Rylee Sievers, Brooklyn Starkey, and Hailey Zugg.
The Honor Chorus festival takes place on Saturday, April 16th. Students practice all day with guest conductor Heather Nail and then share a concert at 3:00 with their families.

Kid Striders Reaching the Finish Line...

We are wrapping things up with the Kid Striders program for 2010-2011. Our final day for tracking the runners will be Friday, April 15th. We have been running our regular winter schedule so far this year, but as the weather gets warmer and the grounds get dryer, we will be running outside. That means more running possibilities for everyone.

Those that have completed their 26 mile marathon by Friday, April 15th will have earned a free t-shirt, and are invited to run their victory lap at the Grand Blue Mile on Tuesday, April 26th at 5:00. Check in time is from 4:30 to 5:00. Those that have completed 13 miles by April 15th will also be able to join us in running the Grand Blue Mile, but do not get a t-shirt. There will be many activities going on after the Grand Blue Mile. Please take time and enjoy this too.

Those that are participating in the Grand Blue Mile will need to have a parent-signed waiver turned in to Mr. Baker or Cathy Kramer by Friday, April 15th. More information and the waiver will be provided for those that are participating. Please watch for this to be coming home with your child.

Spelling Challenge Results = S-U-C-C-E-S-S

Thank you!!!!!! Due to your generous contributions, and our talented spellers, the Spelling Challenge raised over $8,200 this year. All of the money raised is used to pay for field trips, additional books for the library, Day in the Arts and other programs that support Hanawalt students and teachers.

Thanks again for your support!
Kristi Kiefer and Cindy Gilbreath, Spelling Challenge Co-Chairs

Camp Invention June 13 - 17, 2011

CLEVER KIDS WANTED! Camp Invention® at Hanawalt Elementary School needs your sleuthing powers to find out who is sending mysterious coded messages to the Curious Cypher Club. Then, explore intriguing information about the inventors of the animal kingdom, and experiment with chemistry as you discover the science behind bouncy balls!

You’ll find lots more fun things to do at Camp Invention. Camp will be held on June 13-17 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be presented by local teachers for girls and boys entering grades 1-6. Camp director: Kerry Esch. This national, non-profit science and creativity enrichment program is offered by Des Moines Community School District in collaboration with Invent Now Kids and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For more information, call 800-968-4332 or go to www.campinvention.org.

Scouts Recognized with Award from Reggie's Sleepout

Hanawalt’s Cub Scout Pack 75 was presented with a Group Participation Award from Reggie’s Sleepout Charity Event. Way to go Pack 75 from Hanawalt!

Spring Plant Sale

April showers bring May Flowers.

Order you Spring Plants by Monday April 4th and they will be delivered on Friday May 13th.

This is a fantastic way to brighten up your spring garden and help out the PTA at the same time. What could be better.

Tired of your plants lying down on the job? Try a hanging basket! Your plants will love you for it and it will add a bright splash of color to any landscape.

Download the flier here. Return to the PTA mailbox with your payment. The mailbox will be collected Monday afternoon.

NO LATE ORDERS ACCEPTED.

Questions, contact Lisa Kenworthy (ajkenwo@earthlink.net) or Cheryl Thompson (cheryl@tasty-treats.com)

News from the Principal

For the second year, the Hanawalt Science Fair was a huge success! Students, teachers, and parent organizers put forth countless hours to ensure that a meaningful learning experience was created for all participants. In addition, Hanawalt’s Book Fair, Music Performances, Spelling Challenge, Silent Auction and Movie Night have added to the overall learning experience of students. These events have continued to connect the school and community in a partnered commitment that ensures a model educational environment. Many thanks go to the parent and teacher volunteers that have supported this rigorous dedication to student learning. Also, thank you to families that attend such events for respecting neighborhood parking policies. Undoubtedly we are limited in space so each homeowner appreciates families leaving adequate room to safely enter and exit driveways.

4th Grade – Experiment Division
1st Place: Emma Grimm and Sarah Smith (Which is better to dye a carnation beet juice of food coloring?)
2nd Place: Fasia Naseer (Which vegetable or fruit has the most electricity?)
3rd Place: Josh Thompson (Which water is cleaner (less impurities?))

4th Grade – Science Topic Division
1st Place: JaVonni Tarango (How does global warming effect penguins health?)
2nd Place: Brooklyn Starkey (Are cat's eyes better than humans?)
3rd Place: Emma Hall and Lydia Reed (How does the moon affect tides?)
Honorable Mention: Jamal Johnson (What are the differences between species of owls?)

5th Grade – Experiment Division
1st Place: Intisar Becic (Quick Sand: Is it a Solid or a Liquid?)
2nd Place: Anne Percival (Butterflies)
3rd Place: Mackenna Horstmann and Kylie Sly (Which water is cleaner (less impurities?)

5th Grade – Science Topic Division
1st Place: Sean Anderson and Nolan Pollard (Smelling Test)
2nd Place: Quinten Bickel (Forensics)
3rd Place: Otto Gunderson and Sam Knoshaug (How the Moon Affects the Tide)

Letter from the PTA Co-Presidents

It’s crazy to think Spring Break is almost here and once we return, there will only be about two months of school left. The halls of Hanawalt are and have been hopping. Here are some things that we’d like you to know about:

• The Spring Scholastic Book Fair was another successful event, both for the school and students. More than 325 books were purchased, which earned $1,953 in Scholastic bucks to buy library bound books and other school resource materials. It shows once again that our families know the value of reading. Thanks to all the parents that helped Dianna Thompson set up and sell books. As Dianna says, “Reading Rocks and you help make it happen!”
  
  There will be one last Book Fair before summer break. It is tentatively set to happen during Relay Days during the last two weeks of school. It’s a great way to send our students off with some great books for those long summer days.


• Movie Night was a big success. The school made $342 selling cookies, waters and accepting goodwill donations. A special thanks to Julie Brandt’s mom for the homemade chocolate chip cookies. The PTA also made a whopping $1,110 from the teacher auction. Thanks to all the AMAZING teachers who so generously volunteered their time and money. There are a few checks still outstanding so please be sure if you won the auction you bid on to please submit your check so your child can enjoy his special time with a teacher.


• Yearbook order forms will come home around Spring Break. Some orders were placed at the beginning of the school year during Meet the Teacher Night. If you can’t remember if you wrote a check, please contact Lisa Russell at lisa@scubacreative.com.


• Spirit Wear is coming! If you missed your chance to order Hanawalt school gear before Christmas, you will have another opportunity next month. We are selling T-shirts, shorts and other seasonal items to show off your school spirit. Look for information in backpacks in the next few weeks.


• School Supplies 2011-2012 - The form to sign up will come home in the 2011-2012 school registration packets that will be sent home in the spring. If you order the supplies, they will be on your child’s desk the day of Meet the Teacher and you don’t have to go shopping. The supplies are a PTA fundraiser and help pay for school functions throughout the school year.


• RIF Book distributions - there will be two more RIF book distributions before the end of the school year. The next one will be at the end of March and the final one will be in mid-May. Stay tuned for more details.

Again, thanks to all the parents who support Hanawalt and the PTA. We appreciate you taking time out of very busy schedules to enrich the learning environment for all our students.
Martha Miller Johnson and Lisa Russell, 2010-2011 PTA Co-Presidents

Kindergarten News

In honor of Black History month, the kindergarten students designed a bulletin board illustrating Black Americans who have made important contributions to the country. Included in our bulletin board were Joseph Winters, the inventor of the fire escape ladder. Mr. Winters included a safety feature on the ladder, Mr. Garrett Morgan, the inventor of both the traffic light and the breathing mask for firefighters, and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black American woman in space. Dr. Jemison joined NASA in 1987 and flew on the Endeavor space mission in 1992.

The kindergarten students added speech bubbles sharing their dreams for our world. We shared our ideas for making our world a better place for everyone.

First Grade News

If you “googled” the words math whiz, you just may see a picture of one of Hanawalt’s first graders. The first graders have been very productive this winter memorizing their addition and subtraction math facts. The children have been busy practicing with paper and pencil, playing games, and using flashcards. They have all learned strategies to solve the facts they have yet to master. Drawing pictures, using number lines, counting up or back in our minds, and using related facts such as fact families are just a few of the tricks of the trade. Money has even gotten in on the action as the children add and subtract coins. All future math is easier when you know the facts. If you see a first grader, ask them about their math strategies. But if you ask them their facts, you’d better stand back. Just like a cold March wind, they’ll blow you away!

Second Grade News

In second grade this month our genre focus was on biographies in our Houghton Mifflin reading series. We read several biographies in our anthology book. We read about the lives of Theodore Roosevelt, Wilma Rudolph and Ellen Ochoa. We discussed the difference between a biography and an autobiography. The students thought autobiographies sounded interesting because you write about your own life and can add details that an author writing about you might not know. We decided to write our own autobiographies and are currently working on those. We are writing them during Writer’s Workshop and hope to share them with parents at March conferences. This all fits nicely together because during Writer’s Workshop we have been studying how to do nonfiction writing in our Being a Writer curriculum. This is a good example how the different curriculum areas support each other.

Fifth Grade Celebration News

Mark your calendars!!! The 5th Grade Celebration will be at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, June 3rd at Hanawalt. Invitations will be sent out in May. You will be receiving different notes home about donations to the celebration, the need for pictures for the memory book/DVD of students’ kindergarten-5th and the need for either a copy of a baby, toddler or youth photo of your child for the entryway. The committee is already hard at work and excited about this year’s theme — 5th Grade Oscars — selected by the class. If you have any questions please contact co-chairs Alissa McKinney alissamckinney@msn.com or Beth Steffensen bethsteffensen@dwx.com.

Vintage Sculpture at Hanawalt

We are thrilled that Brad and Sundie Ruppert will be working with our fifth grade artists as they begin creating their gift of art to Hanawalt! The Rupperts own Vintage Sculpture in Norwalk Iowa. Their art sculptures are created using found and recycled objects. The objects inspire the idea behind each sculpture. You might have seen their work at the Des Moines Art Festival. Their web address is: vintagesculpture.com

Brad and Sundie will be visiting with our student artists the morning of March 7th from 8:25-10:40 a.m. They will share their art and their philosophy of creating art, and then return as guest artists for our Day in the Arts. You are welcome to stop by the morning of March 7th, and during our Day in the Arts to meet the Rupperts and experience their unique philosophy and art.

Special thanks to Hanawalt parent Alissa McKinney for introducing us to Vintage Sculpture!

Day in the Arts - April 15, 2011

“Even before the artist begins to dream, others have planted the seed in him.” -Lee Mingwei

You are invited to Hanawalt Elementary School’s Day in the Arts! We hope you can join us on Friday, April 15th. If you cannot spend the entire day, stop by for part of the day.

Hanawalt is the only Des Moines Public School to provide such a learning opportunity for their children! Thanks to our wonderful PTA, we have many guest artists offering a variety of creative and cultural experiences for our students, staff and parent community!

Workshop sessions will be throughout the morning, beginning at 8:30, with Frank Strong taking us on a musical history trip at 2:00 in the Gymnasium.

We are still recruiting volunteers to assist our guest artists from 8:15 to 11:30. This is a great way to volunteer, and you will definitely enjoy working with our children as they experience working with our artists. Please contact Alissa McKinney at alissamckinney@msn.com.

Camp Invention - June 13 - 17, 2011

CLEVER KIDS WANTED! Camp Invention® at Hanawalt Elementary School needs your sleuthing powers to find out who is sending mysterious coded messages to the Curious Cypher Club. Then, explore intriguing information about the inventors of the animal kingdom, and experiment with chemistry as you discover the science behind bouncy balls!

You’ll find lots more fun things to do at Camp Invention. Camp will be held on June 13-17 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be presented by local teachers for girls and boys entering grades 1-6. Camp director: Kerry Esch. This national, non-profit science and creativity enrichment program is offered by Des Moines Community School District in collaboration with Invent Now Kids and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Register by March 30th or with a friend and save $25! For more information, call
800-968-4332 or go to www.campinvention.org.

Music News

Congratulations to all the Band, String, and Piano students who participated in the Festivals. Your commitment to practicing and to excellence is to be commended. Well done! Thanks to the families for their support on this musical adventure.

We have one more Spring Music Program, Thursday, March 3.

Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grades – 6:30 p.m.
Merrill Middle School in the gym

There are plenty of seats with a great view of the students, for our concerts. The program will be done by 7:30 p.m.

Our next big event is The Day in the Arts on Friday, April 15th. Happy Spring!

News from the Art Studio

“In art, one idea is a good as another.” -Willem deKooning

This is the time of year when our children make strong connections, and as one student said, “It all comes together!” Art experiences connect to personal experiences and previously learning knowledge. This ensures meaningful experiences and understanding.

Kindergarten Artists retold Aesop’s fable, “The Lion and the Mouse”. Using a crayon resist technique, students discovered properties of crayon and paint. Our literacy connection included sequencing.

First Grade Artists were into measuring after a classroom trip to see Inch by Inch at the Civic Center. Making connections to story and math, the children created inchworm puppets (actually ten inches long!), then measured anything and everything in the Art Studio!

Second Grade Artists have been learning about the art of Wayne Thiebaud, who loves desserts so much he uses them in a number of his paintings! Learning about horizon lines, cool colors, and shadows the children are created fabulous paintings of their own favorite desserts.

Third Grade Artists have been learning about value in art. They created value scales using black and white, and then added one color. Their new vocabulary word is monochromatic, as they apply their new knowledge to create self portraits.

Fourth Grade Artists participated in the District wide art assessment. They learned about the art of Grant Wood and Henri Rousseau, and then created a landscape painting using pattern, perspective, and color.

Fifth Grade Artists are redesigning the Google logo as they Doodle 4 Google. Using their knowledge about perspective and form, the letters are changed to reflect this year’s theme of “What I would like to do someday”.

Enjoy the change of seasons as the flowers begin to pop up! Sincerely, Sally McKenzie, Art Educator

Hanawalt's First Speed Stacking Competition

Did you know that cup stacking helps to develop hand-eye coordination? It also helps students use their right side of the brain which utilizes creativity, rhythm and helps you to focus better. Hanawalt is going to hold its very first speed stacking competition and all students can participate! Look on the Gym doors for your grade level and what you will need to stack, and start practicing! We will hold the competition during recess in April. The winning stackers will receive prizes! More information will come after Spring Break.

Yearbook Order Forms

Order forms for Hanawalt yearbooks have been sent home. Each grade level and class is represented in the book along with many other fun events from the school year. The cost is $15, or for $20 you can purchase a personalized one with your child's name and picture on the front cover. Many of you have already ordered one from the beginning of the year. You are already taken care of and will receive one when they arrive. If you have taken any great pictures from events that have happened at Hanawalt this year, please send them to Mrs. Carpenter at
kelly.carpenter@dmps.k12.ia.us. The yearbook is a great keepsake for your child's school year.

Food Drive

During the first two weeks of February, Hanawalt Fourth Grade Students organized a food drive for the Des Moines Area Emergency Food Pantry. They made posters and speeches to encourage whole school participation. At the end of the project, classrooms made structures with their donations and were awarded extra recess prizes!

The total contribution was 926 food items, 142 personal products, and 3 items of baby formula proving that Hanawalt has a Huge Heart!

Summer Opportunity Fair

Des Moines TAG has worked with 14 of the area’s leading providers of summer opportunities to put on an open-house format fair. This parent sponsored event is offered to both families and organization without charge.

Thursday, March 3, from 5:30-7:30pm is the Summer Opportunity Fair at Central Academy. This fair is an open house with many of the areas organizations on hand to answer your questions about their summer offerings. The Science Center, Blank Park Zoo, Living History Farms, Des Moines Playhouse, Girl Scouts of America, Polk County Conservation, and Camp Invention are only some of the participants. Come down to Central Academy and meet them all. Pay particular attention to Camp Invention that will be lead by Hanawalt and coordinated by Kerry Esch.

Spelling Challenge Update - Pledges due March 1

Spelling Challenge money is due March 1st. There was over $6,800 in pledges and 4,900 words spelled correctly. A HUGE thank you to all of the kids for working so hard!

News From The Principal

One of the many focal points of Hanawalt programming is a holistic approach to physical fitness and nutritional awareness. To this end, various programs including PE4Life, Healthy Schools Partnership (HSP), Kidstriders, AM Sports Club (students), and PM Fitness Club (staff) have been incorporated into our daily routine. As Mr. Baker states, “Healthy bodies make healthy minds.” During the current academic year, HSP has prompted the creation of the Hanawalt Elementary Energy Balance Team. This team is pleased to announce that Hanawalt meets the Healthier US Schools Challenge Bronze Level status. This exciting achievement was in part facilitated by Registered Dietitians (RD’s) working at Hanawalt as Nutrition Coaches for the second year, implementing a unique, comprehensive nutrition and energy balance program called, Energy Balance 4 Kids (EB4K). The RD Nutrition Coaches formed an Energy Balance Team with school Stakeholders to make improvements in the school wellness environment, including menu suggestions that align with USDA’s Healthier US Schools Challenge criteria, which brings national recognition as well as a monetary award to the school. RD Nutrition Coaches, Tanya Hargrave-Klein, Heather Cox and Crystal Morrison, are also implementing the innovative 12-week EB4K curriculum to 3rd – 5th grade students as well as the 2nd grade E=Energize program monthly for 3 months. The “surround sound” EB4K delivery includes the students interacting weekly with the RD Nutrition Coach in the classroom, PE class and in the cafeteria. Messages are reinforced with posters throughout the school, daily health announcements, newsletter articles, Family Fun Night events and small group individualized RD Coaching in PE. The EB4K curriculum is evidenced based and its effectiveness has been evaluated by researchers at the University of California-Berkley’s Center for Weight and Health. The EB4K program was developed by the American Dietetic Association Foundation with funding support from the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation.

As a result of these efforts, it is our hope that students are equipped to thrive in an educational setting that places a premium on academic, artistic, and physical excellence. Please continue to support Hanawalt’s efforts toward becoming a model educational campus by promoting healthy and active habits at home.

Letter from the PTA Co-Presidents

As we look forward into February, we realize just how close we are to spring. After a slight lull we are getting geared up for a very busy push to the end of the year. Here’s a recap of some of the upcoming
(and recent) activities.

In January, the PTA held a RIF distribution. Each student was allowed to choose a book from some of today’s most popular titles. Each year, PTA supplements the federal RIF funds to ensure we have a great selection for all three distributions. This year, we contributed more than $1,500 to the cause! Thanks to Megan Tempero and Moco Quinn for their work with RIF.

Believe it or not, we also used January to begin planning for the next school year. PTA Co-presidents-elect Mary Mouw and Rose Green are hard at work assembling committees and figuring out the fundraisers. If you have ideas, please feel free to email them or drop a note in the PTA mailbox. In February, look for:

• Kid Striders. In an effort to get more kids to the goal of running a marathon, there are additional times for kids to run in the gym before and after school. Have your student check the board in front of the gym, or with Mr. Baker to get the week’s schedule.
• Movie night is Friday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. Join us at school for a movie, book fair and teacher auction. We’ll have a screening of “Despicable Me.” Bring along lawn chairs or blankets to sit on!
• Spelling challenge, our largest fundraiser of the year, and we’re getting ready to kick it off. Check out the information below.

Thanks again to all the parents and family members who have volunteered or contributed so far this year. A special thanks to Casey and Rich Webster who have so graciously headed up the Coins for Computers drive this year. So far, Hanawalt students and parents have donated more than $700 to the cause. Thanks so much for your generosity. Our PTA remains strong because of the overwhelming commitment from each of you.

Spelling Challenge is Comeing!

Hopefully our students can spell better than our PTA! We’ll find out as we gear up for the BIGGEST FUNDRAISER of the year. This is how the PTA funds the extra programs so very important to the education of our kids. Last year, the Spelling Challenge raised money to fund the following:

Field Trips - $4,307.16
Day in the Arts - $2,663.24
Technology Purchases - $4,224.48
Plus much, much more!

There are TONS of fun events planned for the week to get the kids excited!

Dates to remember:

February 8 – Kick-off Assembly
February 18 – Test Day
March 1 – Funds collected due to PTA

Kindergarten News

The kindergarten students at Hanawalt enjoyed a visit from Happy Bear. This 20 minute presentation, a program from Blank Children’s Hospital entertains but it also delivers vitally important information. As Happy Bear learns about personal safety from a favorite teacher, Renae Jones, children in the audience learn about good touch, bad touch and mixed-up touch. They learn how to say no and tell someone if they are touched in ways that make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. For more information, contact Ms. Jones at www.blankchildrens.org Happy Bear.

Second Grade News

In January Hanawalt second graders were looking forward to a lot of snow. We will go outside and paint the snow. Our playground will become a rainbow of colors! In our new writing curriculum this year, Being a Writer, one of the topics second graders are encouraged to write about is a time they had fun outdoors. Painting the snow provides them with this fun experience to write about. Sharing their stories with the class in the author’s chair gives them the opportunity to read their writing and get positive feedback from their peers. Hanawalt second graders are anxiously waiting for it to snow, snow, snow!

Third Grade News

As a new year begins, third graders at Hanawalt School are resolving to learn more about nutrition and in making healthy choices. Last year Hanawalt received a PE4Life grant and designation, which includes new approaches to physical education and exercise as part of the classroom day, advising more healthy choices for school and homemade lunches, along with regularly-scheduled classroom visits by registered dieticians (RD’s) from the Healthy Kids Project.
Last week the RDs from the Healthy Kids Project began working with the third graders at Hanawalt. For the next 12 weeks, as part of their “EB4K: Energy Balance for Kids” program, the dieticians will visit physical education classrooms once a week for nutrition activities that integrate exercise. They will also visit the homeroom once a week for additional lessons.

Forth Grade News

Fourth Grade Social Studies students have been working hard on their travel brochures featuring the fourteen southern states. They have included a famous person born in the state, landforms found in the state as well as a city skyline. These brochures were an interesting project to conclude research on the south.

The fourth graders have been learning a lot about health and nutrition from our RD coaches and the Healthy School Partnership. We started off with a healthy fruit kabob snack and for the next twelve weeks we will be encouraging and inspiring the students to power pick foods and strive for energy balance whenever possible.

We are looking forward to the Science Fair on February 17th. In class, we have asked our research questions and investigated background information regarding the topic. Come out and enjoy the exciting and interesting topics the students are presenting!

The Fourth Grade Students also planned a food collection drive for the emergency food pantry. They have learned about community needs and chose to engage in this authentic experience. On Monday, January 31st pairs of students came to each classroom with a prepared invitation to participate. Many students participated by bringing in food items that designed a sculpture with their gifts. All food items were collected and will be loaded for pick-up on February 11.

Science Fair - 4th & 5th Grade - 2-17-11

Be sure to attend the annual Hanawalt Elementary 4th and 5th Grade Science Fair on Thursday evening, February 17, 2011. Our young scientists have been working hard on their projects and would love to showcase their work for you! The evening will be packed with exciting student exhibits, a science demonstration, awards ceremony, and refreshments.
Schedule of events:

• 5:30-5:45pm - Exhibitors set up


• 5:45-6:45pm - Judging & Public viewing


• 6:45-7:15pm - Science demonstration, Weitz Commons stage


• 7:15pm - Awards ceremony & reception

Thanks to all our students, their parents and our excellent Hanawalt science teachers for participating in this year's Science Fair. See you there! - Laura Higgins (organizer)

Camp Invention - Summer 2011

CLEVER KIDS WANTED! Camp Invention® at Hanawalt Elementary School needs your sleuthing powers to find out who is sending mysterious coded messages to the Curious Cypher Club. Then, explore intriguing information about the inventors of the animal kingdom, and experiment with chemistry as you discover the science behind bouncy balls!

You’ll find lots more fun things to do at Camp Invention. Camp will be held on June 13-17 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be presented by local teachers for girls and boys entering grades 1-6. Camp director: Kerry Esch. This national, non-profit science and creativity enrichment program is offered by Des Moines Community School District in collaboration with Invent Now Kids and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Register by March 30th or with a friend and save $25! For more information, call 800-968-4332 or go to www.campinvention.org.

Reporting a Student's Absense/Tardy for the Day

Parents, if your student(s) will be tardy/absent for the day, please notify the office at 242-8411 between 7:45-8:10 a.m. (this line is in use daily from 8:14-8:25 for the Pledge of Allegiance/Student Overhead Announcements), or from 8:25 a.m. -1:00 p.m. or by emailing the Office Manager at Deborah.hutton@dmps.k12.ia.us. Please refrain from calling the office between the 8:14-8:25 a.m. timeframe since the office phone will be in use for the PA System (overhead paging) during that time, so calls cannot be answered. The Office Manager records student attendance in the Infinite Campus student database in the computer every morning which is part of the student’s permanent attendance record which follows them from school to school. If we haven’t received a call or email regarding a student’s absence, then a call will be placed to the parent in the morning usually starting around 9:00 a.m. This is also for the student’s safety in case they haven’t made it to school yet, so the parent can follow-up on the student’s whereabouts. If we don’t hear back from you with a reason for an absence, then the absence will be recorded as unexcused for the day. You have 24 hours to correct this from an unexcused to an excused absence by notifying the office the next day with a valid reason that is considered excused by the new District Attendance Policy that was given to every parent with a parent handbook at the Open House at the beginning of the school year. A copy of the Attendance Policy may be obtained from the office. To ensure a smooth transition in recording attendance, please follow this procedure. Thank you.

Music News

February is a busy month for music students.

The Piano Festival is on Saturday, February 13th at Hoover/Meredith. Performance times will be coming home soon.

The Hanawalt Spring Programs are coming in February and March. The theme this spring is A WORLD OF COLORS.

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade program will be presented on Tuesday, February 22nd at Merrill Middle School, 6:30 in the gymnasium.

The Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade program will be presented on Thursday, March 3rd at Merrill Middle School, 6:30 in the gymnasium. All students and families are invited. There will be plenty of seating and parking.

P.E. News

Due to my grant responsibilities with PE4life as a model school I will not be providing a Standards based skills/behavioral report this semester for your son/daughter, you will however continue to receive the Fitnessgram Fitness Report for both semesters. Please note that your child’s overall grade in Physical Education is either a S or N entered into the infinite Campus and the reports that I have been providing for both parent and students is not District directed but additional information I choose to provide so you and your son/daughter can gain a better insight into their class.

With the second semester upon us I’m currently in the process of implementing a new report utilizing MicroFit technology which is a software management program for student assessment and Class management. I’m excited to continue offering a cutting edge P.E. experience at Hanawalt for all students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and wishing you a healthy 2011. – John Baker, Physical Education Instructor

Kid Strider Information

With 8 kids who have completed their marathon miles, and several others following close behind, the Kids Striders program is well under way. There is still plenty of time for the kids to get their miles in, even if they haven’t started. Two ways the kids can complete their miles are 1) by running/walking at their designated times at school, and 2) by completing up to 10 “at home” miles. If your kids walk to school, or take part in other running/walking activities, these also count toward their marathon miles. For the “at home” miles log, please see Mr. Baker. Those that have completed their 26 miles by early April will be able to run their Kid Striders Victory Run in the Grand Blue Mile on Tuesday, April 26th. As parents, you can help encourage your kids to be physically active. It helps brain activity as well as improving cardiovascular function. Running and walking will help your kids improve in all sports. And it’s a great social outlet. If you are interested in volunteering your time for the Kid Striders program, we could still use you. – Cathy Kramer, CKdesigns1@msn.com; phone 314-7335.

As a reminder, the indoor running schedule is:
Kindergarten runs during lunch on Monday
1st graders run during lunch on Wednesday
2nd graders run during lunch on Friday
3rd-5th grade runs Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30-8:05 a.m. and 3:15-3:45 p.m.

News from the Principal

Following Winter break provides another opportunity to reinforce the need for your child to dress appropriately for school. As a general rule, we will attempt to provide outdoor recess activities as often as possible. Students who are not prepared (snow pants, boots, hats, and gloves) may not be able to participate as often as those who are dressed appropriately.

A sincere thank you to the volunteers in Parent Patrol that so graciously offer their time (and sacrifice personal comfort) to assist parents each morning. Not only does it make the entire cycle run smoothly but the students truly enjoy the smiling faces and caring welcomes from the volunteers. Parents, please continue to budget your time wisely in order to ensure your child will be in his or her seat by 8:15 each morning. A small amount of missed academic time over the course of many days has a negative impact on academic success. If your current routine disallows timely drop-offs please adjust for winter driving conditions. In addition, during afternoon pick-up please continue to model patience and respectful driving habits for your child. The safety of students and staff is always of paramount importance which demands all of our attention.

Helping Hands has been a complete success this year. Thank you to our parent coordinator, Laura Horstmann, and school volunteer, Mrs. Morris for coordinating the effort. It has been a pleasure to observe the completely selfless giving from our parents and staff.

A final thank you to the PTA for offering a donation to the staff for the annual holiday gathering. Your tribute was a pleasant symbol of your appreciation for their efforts and was taken to heart by all.

News from PTA Co Presidents

Welcome back from Winter Break! While Winter Break doesn't really represent the halfway point of school, it certainly feels like it does. As we look at the second half of the year, we are very excited about what we have planned.

Here's a quick snapshot of what is in store:

• The annual Spelling Challenge fundraiser will kick off in February. Each student will receive a packet of information that includes a pledge sheet, the grade-level appropriate spelling list and study guides. This has been a widely successful fundraiser that has received national recognition. It's also helped us fund a variety of projects and school initiatives. Our goal is to raise $7,000 this year! This is a great opportunity if your company provides matching funds for charitable contributions.


• Mark your calendars for the Hanawalt Movie Night and Book Fair on Friday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. We'll have popcorn and water for sale ... and a great movie that will be announce in mid-January. We'll need volunteers for the book fair and the popcorn sales. If you are interested, please contact Martha Miller Johnson at marthamillerjohnson@gmail.com.


• Other things to watch for: Year Book order forms, spring photos (this is the "informal shots" provided by our yearbook partners), flower sales, 2011-2012 school supply order forms, a technology fundraiser and much more!

In other PTA news, we are pleased to announce Kristen Hall has joined the board of directors as vice president of volunteers. Kristen has been a tremendous help throughout the fall coordinating volunteers for various functions, so it just made sense to make her position official. We appreciate Kristen's willingness to give her time and talents.

As we enter a new calendar year, we'd also like to remind parents that PTA holds a nonprofit status. Not only do we work with employers for matching gift programs, we can also provide receipts for tax purposes.

As you can see, there is much going on at Hanawalt that the PTA has a hand in. If you have questions or would like to get involved, please contact either Lisa Russell at lisa@scubacreative.com or Martha Miller Johnson at marthamillerjohnson@gmail.com.

Drop Off Reminders for Smooth Transition

What a great year we are having! The lack of snow, in comparison to last year, means that things continue to move along smoothly in the mornings. As we move into the new calendar year, here are just a few reminders:

• Please make sure your student is ready to get of the car when you pull in front of the school.


• Pulling as far forward as you can means more students can get out of the car safely.


• Please wait for the line to move before you do. It's tough to see around the cars and we have a few students who have to exit their car on the street side. We try to keep the line moving as fast as possible so we can all get on with our day.


• In case of snow, prepare to be patient. We will continue to move cars down Robertson for as long as we can. If needed, we'll route cars through the parking lot, but both the lot and the hill in the front of the school get icy quickly so Robertson remains our best option. Again, students can be dropped along 56th street and walk to school if you'd prefer to skip the hills along Robertson.

We continue to appreciate your support and patience as we work to get students to school safely and on time!

Box Top Reminder

As you are getting ready to recycle make sure you have removed all your General Mills box tops from items such as cereal, fruit snacks and much more. According to our box top coordinators we've raised more than $700 for the first half of the school year. Let's see if we can double it by May 1!

Kindergarten News

In kindergarten we are currently in our Friends/Family theme we are learning about what makes a good friend. We are reading lots of stories for our reading series about friends as well. We ended our pumpkin and apple theme right before Thanksgiving with making some delicious apple pies. What an exciting experience that was! In Science we are now learning about our 5 senses. We have been hearing different sounds, tasting different things, looking/observing objects, smelling lots of smells and describing them, and touching objects to be able to identify them.

First Grade News

It may be cold outside, but learning is keeping us warm inside the first-grade classrooms! We are excited about our upcoming trip on February 11 to the Civic Center to see a production of Leo Lionni’s work presented by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. They will present three of Lionni’s award winning children’s stories (Swimmy, Inch by Inch, and Frederick) using puppetry. The children will use this unique opportunity to discuss good character traits and implement comprehension strategies learned this year. Before the program, the classes will read the selected stories. They will ask questions about the text, monitor and clarify information read, and infer the meaning of the text. The students will study the illustrations of the books to learn more about Lionni’s style and technique. Also, predictions will be made about the program. After the program, the children will evaluate the productions based on how well the performers matched the meaning of the text, and if they found it to be entertaining. Finally, the children will summarize the stories including the main idea and details. Leo Lionni’s work is a masterpiece of visual art combined with descriptive language. His work incorporates entertainment with the deeper meanings of responsibility and respect. The classes are very appreciative to the PTA for their financial support. The first-graders will remember this experience for a long time to come.

Special Education Program News

As a result of technology being one targeted area for Hanawalt, the Special Education Program has been using many different technology mediums in their classrooms. Some of the students have access to Smart Boards. Smart Boards basically function as a large interactive computer screen. They take normally independent computer activities and create interactive opportunities for the whole class. This is not only fun for the students but it presents information in a way that accommodates diverse learning needs.

Communication: Reminders

Relaying messages to students throughout the day: Please start making any after school arrangements with your student(s) before they leave the house in the morning, to alleviate the office from having to relay messages to students and their teachers throughout the day and for last minute end of the day calls right before or after dismissal time when students are already outside and leaving for the day. If you know ahead of time that after school plans will change from the normal routine, please send a note to the office and to the teacher to simplify the process. If you should have a message that you need to get to your student(s) after they leave the house in the morning, please call the office between the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Thank you!

2011 - 2012 Trimester Grading System

All of the elementary buildings converted to a trimester grading system for the 2011-2012 school year. In a trimester grading system, the school year is divided into three grading periods. Report cards are distributed at the end of each grading period. Trimesters give more time for student to demonstrate growth on skills and for teachers to assess student progress. To increase communication to parents and to provide more time for students to work and show growth before the school year ends conferences would be adjusted for the second trimester. This change allows for more consistent communication with parents and time for parents and teachers to work together to address critical skills for improvement or growth.

Please review the proposal shown below for NEXT year and feel free to provide feedback to Principal Burg at andrew.burg@dmps.k12.ia.us no later than January 14, 2011.

Elementary Trimester Calendar and Proposed Conferences 2011-2012
Trimesters	Traditional Schools	Continuous Learning Schools
First	October 12th and 13th Conferences (No School October 13th and 14th) December 2nd Report Card	August 31st and September 1st (No School September 1st and 2nd) November 4th Report Card
Second	February 15th and 16th Conferences (No School February 16th, 17th and 20th) March 9th Report Card March 19-23rd Spring Break	February 15th and 16th Conferences (No School February 16th, 17th and 20th) March 9th Report Card March 12-23rd Spring Break
Third	May 31st Report Card Last Day of School May 31st	May 31st Report Card Last Day of School May 31st

Healthy Schools Partnership

Hanawalt Elementary moves forward with the Healthy Schools Partnership program that allows school, staff and students to become healthier and more knowledgeable about eating right. HSP is a collaboration of Registered Dietitians through the American Dietetic Association Foundation and PE professionals that implements an Energy Balance program. They are currently funded by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. As part of the program, three registered dietitians work closely with the staff and students as "RD coaches".

An Energy Balance Team has been formed that includes Hanawalt staff, parents and RD coaches to conduct an environmental assessment and create an action plan regarding wellness initiatives. This will help Hanawalt move forward with the application process for a Healthier US Schools Challenge designation of bronze, silver, gold or gold with distinction. In January, a 12-week Energy Balance curriculum for 3rd-5th grade students will be implemented. Kids learn about "Energy In" while they are being active in PE through an active nutrition-related game and small group RD coaching. There will be interactive classroom presentations once a week given by the RD coaches. Cafeteria Promotion involves taking pictures of students and staff that are eating fruit and vegetables at lunch. A few tastings prepared by the dietitians and recipes will be shared. The 2nd graders will also be exposed to how fun eating healthy can be through a hands-on "E-Energize!" program. The RD coaches will provide take home materials for parents and be involved with meetings and events. The mission of HSP and the dietitians is to positively impact the students' eating and physical activity behaviors.

Music News

Welcome to 2011 in the music room. We usually have some snow and cold weather during January, so we are singing songs about this great time of year. This includes songs in other languages, from other countries, and about different cultures.

All classes are also working on a unit about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his special place in our own history. We will all gather in the gym on Friday, January 14th to share our songs and poems. Fifth graders will do short readings in between each grade. We are calling this an “All School Sing for Each Other” program (sorry no room for guests or an audience.) This provides an opportunity for every child to sing in a program and to hear others sing.

We are also beginning to plan for the Spring Music Programs. These will be held in the gym at Merrill Middle School. The programs will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last about 1 hour.

Spring Music Dates

February 12^th Piano Festival

February 22^nd 3^rd, 4^th, & 5^th Grade Music Program

March 3^rd K, 1^st & 2^nd Grade Music Program

April 15^th A Day in the Arts

April 16^th All City Honor Chorus