MVE Celebrates and Spreads Joy

MVE students and staff gathered yesterday for an annual assembly that signifies the half-way point of the 2016-2017 school year. More importantly, the elementary's holiday assembly is a way for the teachers and staff to give back to the students and let them know how much they are valued and cared about as part of the MVE family. 

Students were welcomed to the assembly by some of the sweetest elves in Missouri Valley. Several fourth grade students greeted each student and teacher as they entered the gym. Once in the gym, students were able to enjoy Mr. Meeder and his third grade class playing guitar and singing. 

The Masters of Ceremony for the assembly were MVE's own Ms. Arneson and Ms. Larson serving as comic relief in between acts. 

Ms. Spears playing the Piccolo

Zippy the Elf returns in "Name That Reindeer" written by Mr. Caddell. Zippy is a North Pole Elf who is undefeated in his game show abilities! (See Video Below)

Students and staff also attempted their first whole school Mannequin Challenge. 

Mrs. Barry was awarded with a 5 lb chocolate bar for winning the festive (and slightly ugly) sweater contest. Students and staff voted and Mrs. Barry was named the winner! 

Finally, students watched a video about Lily and the Snowman. MVE staff wanted all of the students to know that they are loved, they are valued, we believe in their abilities, and more than anything else, we love spending time with them every day. 

From our MVE family to yours, we wish everyone a relaxing winter break and we can't wait to see our students in 2017! 

 

Students participated in the Hour of Code this week as part of Computer Science Education Week. 

Mrs. Barry's Second Graders

What does it mean to Code? Coding is a process that makes it possible for people to create software, apps, and websites. Coding has four basic principles: creating algorithms, understanding conditionals, utilizing looping (repeats) and demonstrating how to use functions when creating visual coding scripts.

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. 

One group of students participating in the Hour of Code were the MV ELP students. These students have been focusing on STEM projects over the course of this school year.  One major undertaking has been learning more about coding. During the One Hour Code, students worked on various programming skills by working through a series of games and activities. 

For additional information visit www.code.org.  

Pumpkin Picking STEM Project

Ms. Larson's 5th graders and Ms. Arneson's 2nd graders joined forces last week to work on a pumpkin picking project with a STEM focus! Students worked in teams (one 5th grader and one 2nd grader) to find the best way to pick pumpkins. Students had access to popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, spoons, and tape. Teams worked together to draw a plan and figure out what materials would be needed to pick their pumpkins with the least amount of moves. 

Ms. Larson's class enjoyed the added responsibility of helping the younger students solve the problem! Ms. Arneson's students were excited when they finally "got it" and figured out how to pick the pumpkins!! 

Building a Growth Mindset Through School Family Groups

School Family Groups are in full swing at Missouri Valley Elementary. Last fall, MVE implemented multi-grade level groups that meet monthly to build relationships between students and staff. Family groups stay intact from year to year with outgoing 5th grade students transitioning to middle school and incoming kindergartners joining families as they begin their journey at MVE. 

Purpose of Family Groups: 

• Build and foster social skills and enhance school-wide climate
• Decrease behavior issues and increase students' sense of belonging
• Provide students with the opportunity to build relationships with adults
• Increase student awareness of social/emotional learning

Family Group Lesson

November, 2016

Topic: Growth Mindset

Gratitude Ice Breaker Questions:  

1. What is something invisible that you are thankful for? 

2. You read a book about a family who lived in another country. They were very poor, but they felt rich. They had a dirt floor, one room house, and they were barefooted with very few clothes. How could they feel grateful? 

3. What is something you are thankful for having learned?

Lesson Objective: Students will understand that their brain is like a muscle. They will grasp the idea that the harder they work, the smarter they can become. 

A growth mindset is when someone believes that with effort and hard work they can learn and make their brains stronger and smarter. 

The video below was viewed by every family group: 

In Episode 1, “A Secret about the Brain,” Mojo learns a secret from his friend, Katie, that changes how he thinks about learning!

Discussion Questions:

• Why does Mojo want to leave school? Can you sometimes relate to how Mojo is feeling?
• What does Katie say to Mojo to convince him not to leave?
• Do you think Mojo can become smarter? Why or why not?
• What subject do you feel frustrated by sometimes? Can you see yourself becoming smarter in that subject? How?

Check back next month to see how students and staff continue to grow a culture of growth mindset at MVE!

Some of our family groups in action:

Missouri Valley Elementary... Together We Make A Family!! 

Agricultural Education- A Gift That Keeps Giving

In 2010, former United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, spoke at the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention. Former Secretary, Duncan, addressed the crowd with the following remarks: “Education is like a seed. It is not planted just so it can grow and be harvested. With hard work, education takes roots. It replenishes. It nurtures a lifelong love of learning. It is truly a gift that keeps on giving.”

He went on to say… “Agricultural education is central to the future of American prosperity. I learned that agricultural educators face unique challenges—but that they also can tap into unique strengths within their tight-knit communities. I learned that agricultural education is very much about the jobs of the future—and not a backwards-looking curriculum to preserve the past.”

Missouri Valley CSD is fortunate to be part of a community that believes in education and the nurturing of lifelong learning. This fall, MVCSD welcomed Mr. Justin Mills to the MV team. Mr. Mills teaches a 7^th grade exploratory course along with five high school classes. His high school course loads consists of, Intro to Agriculture, Plant Science, Animal Science, Ag Construction and Maintenance, and Ag Business.

When Mr. Mills attended Iowa State University for elementary education, it took him a year to realize he missed the agricultural part of his life. He grew up on a farm outside of Harlan, and he realized that he wanted to incorporate agriculture into his teaching career. Justin took a job in Eastern Iowa at Central City for one semester when he found out MV was hiring. Mr. Mills jumped at the chance to come back to western Iowa and start a new program. Justin says that he always wanted to start a program from the ground up and come back to western Iowa, so things worked out!

When asked what his role is at MV, Mr. Mills stated: “My role at MV is to use agriculture and the shop to teach kids how to be practical, lifelong learners. I tell my students that everything I teach in class should be something they could use in the real world." 

Mr. Mills feels like his students have been receptive to starting something new and fresh at Missouri Valley. He averages 15 or so kids per class and there are 25+ FFA members, which are both good signs. Most of the students (and parents) thought Mr. Mills was the farming teacher. He has worked hard to explain that agriculture goes very far beyond that.

Mr. Mills has been working with student leaders in his FFA (Future Farmers of America) program. FFA is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. It is one of the three components of agricultural education.

The FFA officers include:

President-Tom Rief

Vice President-Morghan Herman

Secretary-Sydney Hoffman

Treasurer-Shannon Green

Reporter-Noah Kirlin

Sentinel-Danny Martin

Mr. Mills and his FFA students traveled to Atlantic for the Southwest District Greenhand Fire-Up Camp in October. The camp consists of breakout sessions hosted by former FFA state officers, businesses, and students to help students learn about FFA.

MVCSD looks forward to seeing what the future holds for Mr. Mills and the new Ag Program!