Articles from January 2020

On January 29, 2020, the Iowa Department of Education released updates to its online school accountability reporting system called the Iowa School Performance Profiles. The website shows how schools are performing on multiple measures and meets federal and state requirements for publishing report cards. 

The Iowa School Performance Profiles include scores and ratings on a set of accountability measures, such as student growth and graduation rate, and additional data that are required by law but do not count toward school accountability scores. New to the 2020 profiles are updated school scores and ratings, post-secondary readiness is now factored in accountability, and the scores include performance on the new state test, the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). The website also specifies schools that have been identified for additional support and improvement based on their performance. …

“Ever since I looked up into the night sky, I have always wondered if there is another planet like Earth out there.” This is the inquisitive thinking that has driving Ames High senior Pooja Kasiviswanathan to be named a top 300 scholar in the 79th Regeneron Science Talent Search—the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors.  …

The Ames Community School District has launched a new communication tool called Anonymous Alerts®, an anti-bullying and safety app reporting system. As a District, we believe that the best way to address problems that our students face in school is personal contact with a teacher, school administrator, psychologist or counselor and we strongly encourage and fully support that continued practice. However, we do know that sometimes there is a concern that a student or parent may want to communicate anonymously.  …

Ames High tennis coach Dustin Rhoads was named the National Federation of High School (NFHS) Coaches Association’s Iowa Girls Tennis Coach of the Year. Rhoads was specifically nominated by the Iowa High School Athletic Association as the most deserving recipient for this honor. This recognition honors coaches for significant achievement in their sport, lifetime community involvement, school involvement, and philosophy of coaching. 

The criteria for selecting nominees are coaching background & experience, career successes, involvement in coaches’ organizations, past coaching honors received, involvement in community service clubs & organizations, involvement in school, implementation of innovative programs for athletes, and philosophy of co-curricular athletics.  …

The 2020-2021 school year calendar was approved by the Ames school board on Monday, January 13, 2020. 

Start date – School will officially begin on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 for most grades across the District. This includes 1st – 5th grade, as well as 6th and 9th graders and all other students at the middle and high school who are new to the District. Here is a breakdown of the staggered start dates across the district:

• August 26 – 1st-5th grades. Orientation for 6th grade and 9th grade, and all AMS and AHS students new to the district. 
• August 27 – Early kindergarten, 7th, 8th, and 10th-12th grade 
• August 28 – Kindergarten 
• September 8 – Preschool 

At the secondary level, the August 26 start date provides an orientation opportunity for 6th and 9th graders, as well as all other 6th-12th graders who are new to the District. This allows them time to meet teachers and get acquainted with a new building and expectations. Ames High modeled this approach two years ago with Ames Middle School implementing this approach last year. …

The Big 12 Conference, in partnership with the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) initiative and Lakeshore Learning Materials, today revealed the creation of a digital learning lab at Ames Middle School. 

Through a $50,000 grant, Ames Middle School was able to completely repurpose a space into a digital learning lab featuring virtual reality technology and items from Lakeshore’s brand-new, exclusive line of Flex-Space classroom furniture so that the space will be both interactive and inviting for students. Equipping the lab with virtual reality has the ability to impact all students at Ames Middle School. …