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Mason City Community School District |
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May Momentum: Finish Strong
As we enter the final month of the school year, I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the importance of finishing May strong in terms of student attendance and academic achievement. May isn't just another month on the calendar; it's an important time for our students as they finish their current grade level and prepare for the next school year.
Throughout the year, your child has been learning many concepts and skills. The month of May often serves as a time when these concepts are revisited, reinforced, and mastered. The month of May acts as a bridge between the current academic year and the next school year. The skills your child works to master in the final weeks of the school year provides the foundation for the material they'll study in the next grade level. By finishing the year strong, students can confidently enter the next school year.
Maintaining regular attendance is vital for finishing the year strong. Missing school in the last few weeks can disrupt a student's education and make it harder for students to stay on track. Consistency is critical to academic success, and end of the year is no exception.
As a parent, you are the most critical factor in encouraging and supporting your child to finish the school year strong.
- Enure your child attends school regularly and arrives on time.
- Create a positive learning environment at home.
- Communicate with teachers about any concerns or questions you may have.
- Encourage your child to stay organized and manage their time effectively.
Together, we can ensure that our students finish the school year strong, setting them up for success in the upcoming school year.
Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's education.
Sincerely,
Pat Hamilton
Superintendent of Schools
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Mason City High School paraprofessional Harley Froning was recently selected as the Central Rivers Area Education Agency ABC Paraeducator Award winner for Region 2.
Harley was one of 65 paraprofessionals who were nominated for this award.
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We are so proud of you and are grateful that you are part of the MCCSD team! Thank you for all that you do for our students and staff! Congratulations on this well deserved honor! | |
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Alicia Lief
Roosevelt Elementary
Alicia Lief is a very kind soul and is very patient with her students and staff. She goes above and beyond for all of her students. She helps her students be the best they can be. She also helps the staff in her room with whatever they need or are going through. I feel good just from the positive energy that comes from her warm personality.
-Submitted by
Laurie Murphy
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Lisa Hugi
Lincoln Intermediate
Ms. Hugi has been a light in our lives. We are fairly new to the district and her sense of humor and kindness has brought my shy daughter out of her shell. It's also apparent that she fiercly advocates for the safety and emotional well being of all her students, especially when they aren't advocating for themselves. My daughter and I love her and her ability to truly care and connect with her students and make learning fun.
-Submitted by
Becky Mead
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Julie Ulve
Mason City Alternative School
Julie responds back to emails really quickly, which is very helpful in taking APEX courses online. She is very encouraging and supportive. Julie makes me feel good about myself when I complete an APEX class.
-Submitted by
Courtney Latham
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Linda Lindsay
Pinecrest
Center
Linda Lindsay is an amazing educator! She is dedicated to helping her students not only academically, but also personally. She makes strong connections with her students that they will remember forever. She has made a difference in so many lives in her many years of teaching. Pinecrest Center is lucky to have her!
-Submitted by
Melodee Birke & Kaitlyn McMurray
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Kim McKenna
Roosevelt Elementary
My daugher absolutely adores Ms. McKenna and enjoys going to school every day! I appreciate Ms. McKenna and how well she communicates. She always gets back to me with a quick email. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication! It doesn't go unnoticed!
-Submitted by
Chelsea Jones
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Nicki Gretillat
Harding
Elementary
Ms. Gretillat has gone above and beyond to make sure that I got up to speed with my reading. She has also been there through my emotional ups and downs. She is really one of the best teachers a kid can ask for.
-Submitted by
Jaxten Cabrera
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Do you have a Riverhawk staff member who you want to RAVE about?
Please click HERE to complete the survey and submit your Riverhawk Rave so that we can share the amazing things our Riverhawk staff are doing with the community!
Riverhawk Raves will be shared in upcoming MC Proud newsletters.
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Riverhawks Flying High Feature | |
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Leadership North Iowa Packs the Care Closet at Mason City Schools
The Leadership North Iowa (LNI) group is facilitated by the Mason City Chamber of Commerce and provides leadership training for up-and-coming business professionals from the North Iowa area. Part of the program curriculum is to complete a community impact project. This year's Leadership North Iowa class has been collecting hygiene items for students at John Adams Middle School, Mason City Alternative School,
and Mason City High School.
LNI participants contacted service clubs, businesses and community members for hygiene product donations and monetary gifts. The group was able to collect a HUGE amount of hygiene products to help out students in need. Additionally, the group raised money to help purchase washers and dryers for student use at John Adams Middle School.
The essential items will be kept in a "care closet" where students can access necessitites in confidence. Several local businesses and community members have committed to helping in the future when needs arise. LNI will transition the project to MCCSD social worker Aimee Lenth, who will facilitate the Care Closet program at the schools.
This type of project takes collabortation, dedication, and teamwork and we would like to recognize the MCCSD staff who worked so hard to get this program started.
THANK YOU to the following people who contributed and will continue to help with the Care Closet program:
Aimee Lenth
Michelle Lamers
Ashley Stout
Kathleen Lommen
Chelsie Athon
Cathy Spotts
Amie Otto
Jordan Mann
We are so blessed to have such caring and hard working people who do what is best for our students, schools, and community.
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Mason City Alternative School | |
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On Sunday, April 28 the Harding Ukulele Chorus opened for the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain concert at NIACC. The Harding Ukulele Chorus is composed of 3rd and 4th grade students who applied to be in the group. They met for 30 minutes per week outside of school from January to April. When students started in the group, many only knew two chords and by their performance they knew six! Their performance included a meet and greet with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and an opportunity to see the show!
The students did an amazing job representing MCCSD and our music program!!
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The 2nd graders at Hoover Elementary had the opportunity to hatch 48 eggs. They had much success and hatched a total of 32 chicks! The students learned about the life cycle of a chicken, how to care for them, had a chance to candle the chickens to see if there was life on day 7, experienced live hatching in the classroom, and named the chicks! To end the hatching excitement, the 2nd grade classes invited the 1st graders to have a 'chicken walk' in the hallway. This served as a great sneak peek for the 1st graders and what is to come next year for them! The 32 chicks are now off to a local farm to live their life out! | |
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Some of our Jefferson Elementary students partcipated in Battle of the Books. They had an online qualifying round in March. Coach Cassie Heimbuch and gifted and talented teacher Stacey Anderson were able to supervise. There were 21 books on the elementary list for students to read collectively as a team. Four 4th graders and one 3rd grader particpated this year. They read and practiced during their lunchtimes and did a lot of extra reading to compete. We are so proud of you!
Thanks for representing Jefferson and MCCSD Chloe Draheim, Simar Kaur, Talia Monahan, Cali Williams, and Cora Williams!!
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The John Adams iJAG students recently particpated in a community service project with Habitat for Humanity to not only help one of their own at JAMS get sweat equity hours, but to allow the students to be impactful on the community. The iJAG students spent time raking leaves at two homes owned by Habitat for Humanity, cleaning up the grounds at the building, and cleaning up the office to set up for a party they were having.
"Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else's help." ~Heather French Henry
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Lincoln Intermediate
Dr. Kauke from Waldorf University came to Lincoln to speak to the 5th grade class about knights and the middle ages. He even brought in chainmail armor that he made. The students are studying Don Quixote currently, so they were able to see many of the things they have been talking about in class.
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Mason City Alternative School | |
To celebrate Earth Day, the Mason City Alternative School students and staff spent the morning picking up trash at Big Blue. Despite the cold and windy conditions, the students enjoyed the time outside getting fresh air and helping out the community. | |
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The Mason City Academic Decathlon team competed in the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition in Pittsburgh, PA last week. They faced teams from across the country. The MC team placed 8th in Division V and Kaitlyn Thangaraj brought home two silver medals; one in Essay and one in Music.
The following students competed at Nationals:
Sofia Ahari
Isaac Hines
Julia Hines
Ryleigh Penn
Maya Sajadian
Kaitlyn Thangaraj
Brooklyn Van Hauen
Alfonso Villarreal
Alternates:
Reid Carolus
Justin Nkazi
Damon Temple
Karson Willier
Coaches:
Jeff Hines
Allia Yarrow
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Student writers and photographers who spent all year working in Mrs. Scholl's yearbook class visited the University of Iowa's Adler School of Journalism and Mass Communications. They sat down with Iowa students working at the Daily Iowan and discussed effective interviewing skills. They also received instruction from U of I professors on graphic design and writing. The class is eagerly awaiting the arrival of this year's Masonian! It is set to arrive before the school year ends! | |
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Mason City High School had 14 sophomore students attend the Iowa Youth Institute put on by the World Food Prize Organization at Iowa State University on April 29. This event allows high school students to engage with leading experts on critical global challenges, participate in hands-on activities, and explore
exciting ways to make a difference in Iowa and around the world.
Before attending the event, these students researched food insecurity within a chosen country, wrote a research essay, and provided a recommendation for solving the identified problem. During the event, students presented their findings to leading experts and faculty members from Iowa State University.
Congratulations to the following students:
Jacob Barr, Elyce Barker, Elise Dykstra, Kayla Eide, Sofia Ahari, Nettie Foat,
Jessie Freeman, Michael Johnson, Kate Kotta, Zerik Nicholson, Eric Pals,
Alexandrea Paulino, William Samson, and Kaitlyn Thangaraj
Thank you for representing Mason City Schools!
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Students in the SUN program at Pinecrest made May Day baskets to spread kindness and say thank you. They practiced working together, taking turns, and counting even numbers of items while making the baskets. Students also practiced their communication skills, respect, and responsibility while presenting the baskets to staff members. | |
The Roosevelt Elementary 1st graders performed a wonderful music program for students, staff, families, and friends. The program, Get Hoppin', had a spring theme centered around a bunny learning to hop. The songs included "Out in the Forest," "The Bunny Hop," and many more. Thanks to Mrs. Reineke, 1st grade teachers, and all other staff involved for their work with our students to put on an outstanding performance! Great work, 1st graders! | |
The 1st graders also had the opportunity to attend the North Iowa Ag Fair. At this field trip students got to interact with different animals and learn about farm related activities. | |
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Administrative Center
Karim Eldadah serves as the student school board representative and was elected to his position in November. After graduating from MCHS this month, Karim will attend the University of Iowa for biomedical sciences. Karim appreciates that the MC Schools administration and staff acknowledge the students. For example, they trusted the MCHS Student Senate to lead the mascot change and are open to having student representation on the Board. A fun fact about Karim is that he enjoys playing the saxophone.
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Harding Elementary
Nicole Sluik teaches 1st grade at Harding Elementary. This is her first year at Harding, as she spent half of last year teaching 6th grade at Lincoln. Nicole is a MCHS alumni and attended Buena Vista University. Nicole loves MC Schools because it feels like home! She was a proud student of Mason City Schools and loves watching the new generations of Riverhawks gain confidence and build knowledge as they grow as learners. The feeling of belonging brought her to MC Schools and she has stayed because of the kiddos! A fun fact about Nicole is that she ran both cross country and track for her college and her favorite event to particpate in was the steeple chase in track!
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Hoover Elementary
Samantha Studer is a special education teacher at Hoover Elementary and this is her first year with MCCSD. She is a graduate of Newman Catholic High School and the University of Northern Iowa. Samantha loves MC Schools for the close community and working with such a great team at Hoover Elementary. An interesting fact about Samantha is that in the last 10 years of teaching, she has taught every grade kindergarten through 8th grade.
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Jefferson Elementary
Alyssa Cates is a paraprofessional at Jefferson Elementary and this is her first year with MCCSD. She attended Northwood-Kensett schools. Alyssa loves MC Schools because there is such kind and friendly staff. A fun fact about Alyssa is that she has five dogs.
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John Adams Middle School
Chelsie Athon serves as the juvenile court school liaison for JAMS and Lincoln Intermediate. She has worked for MCCSD for eight years; starting as a paraprofessional at Pincrest, then behavior interventionist at MCHS and JAMS. Chelsie attended Rossford High School in Rossford, Ohio and graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology from Jamestown College in North Dakota. She loves MC Schools for the students! She loves to see the improvements of her students throughout the school year. It helps her feel like she is making a difference. Something interesting about Chelsie is that she wrestled for 14 years; 10 of those years she was on an all boys wrestling team until college, where she became a 3-time All-American.
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Lincoln Intermediate
Curt Klaahsen is an instructional coach at Lincoln and co-activities director for MCCSD. He has been with the district for 17 years. After graduating from George High School, Curt attended Morningside College and Drake University. He loves MC Schools because we have an amazing group of caring, dedicated staff who give their best for our students and activties every day. Curt says the best thing about Lincoln is working every day with his awesome instructional coaching partner, Stacy Schisel, and collaborating with and learning from her. A unique fact about Curt is that he has written his own book When Life Meets Coaching.
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Mason City High School
Elizabeth Morales-Cancel is an ELL paraprofessional at MCHS and has worked for MCCSD since 2022. Before coming to MCHS, Elizabeth studied at Dr. Pedro Perea Fejardo Vocational School in Puerto Rico. She loves MC Schools because the education is guaranteed and very good and the educators are the best in every way. Something unique about Elizabeth is that she has the experience, ability, and patience to be able to understand a teenager, which in these times is very difficult, but for her it is something gratifying to be able to have a good, unique and beautiful connection with her students.
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Roosevelt Elementary
Kimberly Mayer is a 1st grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary and has been with MCCSD for nine years. She graduated from NIACC with her AA and received a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education, including Special Education from UNI. She earned her Master's in Teaching from Morningside College in 2020. Kimberly loves working for MC Schools because of the people and relationships built while working here. This includes amazing coworkers, students, families, and staff across the district. Kimberly loves coming to work every single day because of everyone she gets to see and work with. She is thankful for such a fun, caring, and enjoyable work environment and her awesome, kind, and hardworking students. Kimberly loves spending time with her family and enjoys music, traveling, shopping, Starbucks, and the Minnesota Twins. A fun fact about Kimberly is that she played college softball for the NIACC Trojans and was the co-captain of the NIACC Singers and choir.
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There are four MCHS students who will have their work published and printed in this year's edition of the Iowa Poetry Association anthology, Lyrical Iowa.
Congratulations to the following students on this wonderful achievement:
Piper Lunning, "Untitled"
Rain Sanchez, "Moving Boxes"
Brittlyn Arthur, "Burn Me"
Kate Kotta, "weather"
Kate Kotta received 1st place in the high school division for her poem!
Congratulations to these talented writers. We are very proud of your accomplishments!
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Mason City High School held the inaugural Dave Long Relays on Monday, April 22, 2024. Dave Long coached track and cross country at MCHS from 1969-1982. He had four state championship cross country teams and never had a team finish lower than 11th place in state meets. Dave coached over thirty individuals and relay state champions and six track and cross country athletes who went onto become University All-Americans. He was named Iowa Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame and served as the president of the Iowa Track Coaches Association. He also served on the State Track Advisory Board for 16 years. In addition to spending time speaking to the MCHS Track and Field team, dozens of athletes Dave Long coached in his career suprised him with helping kick off the start of the Dave Long Relays.
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MCCSD Virtual Backpack
Make sure to check out the Virtual Backpack website! Here you will find events, camps, and opportunities for students and their families from district and community organizations.
Click HERE to check it out!
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Boys Soccer
*Varsity Defeated Waterloo East
*Varsity Defeated New Hampton
Girls Soccer
*Varsity Defeated Des Moines Hoover
Boys Tennis
*Varsity Defeated Ottumwa
*Varsity Defeated Des Moines Lincoln
*Defeated Des Moines Roosevelt
*Defeated Ames
*Placed 1st in the Ankeny Dennis Hoefle Invitational
Boys Track
*1st Place Finishers at Waterloo Invite:
4X100 Relay - Victor Swai, Darian Davis, Justyn Rivera, Drew Hobart
4X400 Relay - Kasin Byre, Ra'shaun Sinnwell, Darian Davis, Drew Hobart
*Varsity 1st Place Finishers at Dave Long Invitational:
*400 Meter Dash - Kasin Byre
*800 Meter Run - Ra'shaun Sinnwell
*400 Meter Hurdles - Drew Hobart
*Long Jump - Drew Hobart
*Shot Put - Cade Meyer
JV 1st Place Finishers at Dave Long Invitational:
*100 Meter Dash - David Muniz Jr.
*Drake Relay Qualifiers: Noah Banos, Greyson Brandt, Kasin Byre, Darian Davis, Andrew Fingalsen, Drew Hobart, Javel Lee, Cade Meyer, David Muniz Jr., Justyn Rivera,
Ra'shaun Sinnwell, Victor Swai, Jayden Williams, Drayden Witt
Girls Track
*Varsity Girls won the Dodger Relays
1st Place Finishers:
Shuttle Hurdle - Gwen Fiser, Macy Schlitter, Greta Lewerke, Ellea Lewerke
4X200 Relay - Latasha York, Savannah Davis, Janae Hansen, Megan Tobin
200 Meter Dash - Latasha York
100 Meter Hurdles - Ellea Lewerke
*Drake Relay Qualifiers: Savanah Davis, Gwen Fiser, Janae Hansen, Ariel Lee, Megan Tobin, Latasha York, Peyton Zilge
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Congratulations on your successes and achievements! #WingsUp | | | | |
