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

A Day In The Arts - 04/15/11

Happy New Year! Our thoughts are quickly jumping to spring and A Day in the Arts!

On this day students have the opportunity to work with three guest artists in workshop sessions throughout the morning. In the afternoon, students will experience an all-school workshop/performance.

We are the only school in Des Moines to provide this opportunity for our students!

Planning is underway, and there are opportunities for you to be a part of this wonderful day. You can be a guest artist, and work with children in a workshop session, or volunteer to help a guest artist. The Day in the Arts committee welcomes your help and participation. We look forward to hearing from you! You can contact any of the following people:

Alissa McKinney - alissamckinney@msn.com

Carol Looney - carolyn.looney@dmps.k12.ia.us
Sally McKenzie sally.mckenzie@dmps.k12.ia.us

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 am to 3:30 pm, 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

News from the Principal

As our morning drop-off volunteers will contest, “Winter weather is upon us!” As the days shorten and the temperature drops it is imperative that all Hanawalt students come to school with appropriate clothing. Hats, gloves, and a winter jacket are essential as it will be our goal to allow students to get as much outdoor exercise as possible.

Over the last several weeks the staff at Hanawalt has collaborated to originate a collective vision statement that is unique to our community. An effective vision statement motivates, energizes, and provides a sense of shared ownership and collegiality. It is a proactive strategy that emphasizes the need for an entire organization to focus on expectations of the future. Staff members have been intrinsically motivated to create, revise, and promote the work of the entire school body. The below statement will be used as a guiding directive when making decisions that have a substantial impact on the overall community. One example of the immediate impact of the statement with regard to the use of 21^st century skills is reflected in a joint PTA/Hanawalt commitment to provide systematic word processing instruction to all 3^rd grade students. Software to enable this effort will be loaded into the computer lab and students will be provided keyboarding instruction with the goal to have accurate and fluent electronic communication skills upon exiting Hanawalt in fifth grade.