Security Measures

Dear Franklin Parents/Guardians:

In late January you were informed of new security measures the Council Bluffs School District is putting in place to enhance student safety at school.  On Wednesday of this week, you will notice that a magnetic lock and buzzer system will be activated at the front door of our school. 

The front door to Franklin School will be open from 8:30-8:45 a.m. each morning as students arrive. The door will then be locked at 8:45 a.m. through the end of the school day.  If you or your student comes to school after this time, you will need to press the button on the right-hand wall to notify the office of your presence.  A camera monitor has been installed in the office that shows us who is at the front door.  Our secretary, or other staff member in the office, will talk to you via the wall panel and ask your name and the purpose for your visit.  Identification may be requested.  Please plan to state your student’s name so that we can verify you as an approved contact for a child at Franklin as listed on the enrollment form.  After this verification is complete, you will hear the door unlock, and you can enter the school.  Please proceed directly to the office to sign in and receive a Visitor sticker.

I would ask that you make sure the contacts you have identified for your student at Franklin are current and accurate.  You can review your child’s contact information by going to the District website and logging into your PowerSchool account. If you don’t have PowerSchool access, you can call our school office for directions. Any additions or deletions can be completed by our school secretary.  Please be sure to notify us if there is a change in who will be picking up your child from school during the school day, or if someone new would be accessing your child at school.  As you know, we will not dismiss a child to someone not identified as a contact person, nor will we allow any other unknown person to enter the building. 

As with anything new, it will take time for all of us to adjust to this system.  I appreciate your patience as we learn to manage this new security feature.  Our efforts are completely focused on keeping all children and staff safe at Franklin. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lori Swanson

Principal

Security and Safety

Security and Safety Message to Parents/Guardians:

Mensaje de Seguridad y Protección a los Padres/Tutores:

  

In the aftermath of the tragic school shooting in Connecticut, the Council Bluffs Community School District, and most other school districts in the country, have placed a renewed emphasis on ensuring appropriate and effective security measures and safety procedures are in place at all school buildings. This focus in the Council Bluffs Schools is resulting in noticeable changes in the access to school buildings.

The Board of Education approved this week the purchase of electronic door systems for each elementary school. In the next several weeks, each school will be equipped with an intercom on the outside of the main entrance to the building. This will allow the door to be locked during school hours, but will still allow secure access to students, parents, volunteers and others who have a reason to be at the school.

When you arrive at a school, you will be asked to press the intercom button to request entry into the building during school hours. Students who arrive at school after the school start time will also have to press the intercom button. The intercom box will have a camera to allow a school staff member to see who is at the door and to unlock the door from the office as appropriate. The door will be monitored during school arrival and dismissal times so that students do not have to use the intercom as they arrive at school during these times.

This is one of several security measures being taken in the Council Bluffs Schools to enhance the safe and supportive learning environment for students. Thank you in advance for understanding the importance of this simple extra step we are asking visitors to take.

Mensaje de Seguridad y Protección a los Padres/Tutores:

A raíz del trágico tiroteo en  una escuela en Connecticut, el Distrito Escolar de la Comunidad de Council Bluffs,  y la mayoría de otros distritos escolares en el país, han puesto nuevo énfasis en garantizar medidas de seguridad adecuadas y efectivas y los procedimientos de seguridad se han establecido en todos los edificios escolares. Este enfoque en las Escuelas de Council Bluffs está dando lugar a cambios notables en el acceso a los edificios escolares.

El Consejo de Educación aprobó esta semana la compra de sistemas de puertas electrónicas para cada escuela primaria. En las próximas semanas, cada escuela contará con un intercomunicador en el exterior de la entrada principal del edificio. Esto permitirá que la puerta esté cerrada durante el horario escolar, pero seguirá permitiendo el acceso seguro a los estudiantes, padres, voluntarios  u otros que tienen una razón para estar en la escuela.

Al llegar a una escuela, se le solicitará que presione el botón del intercomunicador para solicitar la entrada al edificio durante el horario escolar. Los alumnos que llegan a la escuela después de que las clases hayan iniciado también tendrán que pulsar el botón del intercomunicador. La caja de intercomunicación tendrá una cámara para permitir que un miembro del personal de la escuela vea quién está en la puerta y al abrir la puerta desde la oficina, como corresponda. La puerta será monitoreada durante las horas escolares de entrada y de salida para que los estudiantes no tengan que usar el intercomunicador cuando lleguen a la escuela durante este horario.

Esta es una de las varias medidas de seguridad que se están adoptando en las Escuelas de Council Bluffs para mejorar el ambiente de aprendizaje seguro y de apoyo para los estudiantes. Gracias de antemano por la comprensión de la importancia de este simple paso extra que estamos pidiendo a los visitantes que tomen.

Music in our Schools

March is Music in Our Schools Month

Yes!  It’s time to demonstrate some of the things we have been doing in music since the beginning of the year!

Mark your calendars for the last week of March!

The demonstrations are held during your child’s regular music class time.  You will sign in at the office as usual and then wait around the corner from the music room because the back hallway has students moving from music, art, and pe.  Traffic jams will shorten our time together! Parents of students in Mrs. Forristall’s class, please check with her to see what day your child will perform.

Here is the schedule:

Tuesday, March 27                

9:20-  9:50  K Quick                      

10:20-10:50  4 Schechinger       

11:25-11:55  K Jennings             

Wednesday, March 28

9:20-  9:50    4  Rush

10:20-10:50   2  McArthur

11:25-11:55   K Bergman

Thursday, March 29                      

8:50- 9:20  3 Malskeit                   

9:50-10:20 4 Vint                           

10:55-11:25 1 Matters                   

              and  ½ Forristall                                 

1:30-2:00   2 Barrett

Friday, March 30

8:50- 9:20  3  Rose

9:50-10:20 2 Brandenburg

10:55-11:25 1 Hospodka

and ½ Forristall

All Fifth Graders in our district will be presenting their

concert on Friday, March 23^rd

TJ Gym at 1:00.

 Parents, be looking for more information to come home

with your student about the first week of March.

Mrs. Hansel and Ms. Hubbard

Attendance Matters

We recognized students with good attendance and positive office referrals at our assembly today.  We also announced the winner of the November attendance challenge.  Mr. Schmitz's class won the challenge with over 99% average daily attendance for the month.  Way to go!  If you were paying attention, you will remember that they were one of two winners in our October Attendance Bingo Challenge.  We had 5 classrooms who were at 98% or higher.  Our school average was nearly 97%, which is above our district goal of 95%.

We gave gift certificates to students with perfect attendance.  46 students had perfect attendance for the first trimester.  That is more than 10% of our students, quite an accomplishment.

Here is a summary by grade of our attendance for November.  The last column is the one we use, the ADA%.  ADA stands for average daily attendance.

Franklin Elementary School
11/01/2011 to 11/30/2011 = 18 school days

Grade Level	Carry Fwd	Gain	Mult Gain	Loss	Ending	Actual Days	OffTrack	Days N/E	Days Absent	Days Attd	ADA	ADA %
0	66	2	0	0	68	1224	0	16	47.50	1160.50	64.47	96.07%
Subtotal	66	2	0	0	68	1224	0	16	47.50	1160.50	64.47	96.07%
1	68	0	0	0	68	1224	0	0	35.50	1188.50	66.03	97.10%
2	67	0	0	0	67	1206	0	0	48.00	1158.00	64.33	96.02%
3	59	0	0	0	59	1062	0	0	25.00	1037.00	57.61	97.65%
Subtotal	194	0	0	0	194	3492	0	0	108.50	3383.50	187.97	96.89%
4	63	0	0	0	63	1134	0	0	41.50	1092.50	60.69	96.34%
5	71	0	0	0	71	1278	0	0	37.00	1241.00	68.94	97.10%
Subtotal	134	0	0	0	134	2412	0	0	78.50	2333.50	129.63	96.75%
Grand Total	394	2	0	0	396	7128	0	16	234.50	6877.50	382.07	96.70%

The votes are in!

We are excited to announce the formation of a Franklin Elementary School Student Council! Student Council gives students the opportunity to develop leadership skills, plan and perform projects to benefit the school, and encourage a cooperative spirit within the student body. The Franklin Student Council consists of 3 representatives from each 4th and 5th grade classroom.

Interested students filled out an application on why he/she would be good representative and each class voted. We are excited to announce the new members of our Student Council...

Mrs. Vint's class: Karagin, Riley, and Kasean

Mrs. Rush's class: Natalie, Raymond, and Jessica

Mr. Schechinger's class: Alexis, Maxine, and Brooke

Mrs. Gustafson's class: Laura, Charity, and Cameron

Mrs. Aldrich's class: Pandora, Madisyn, and Vanessa

Mr. Schmitz's class: Tyanna, Alenah, and Taylor

Breakfast, the key to learning

This is a message from Nutrition Services. 

Before you send your kids out the door and off to school there may be something they're missing—and it's not their backpacks or lunches. "Numerous studies suggest that schoolchildren skip breakfast more than any other meal of the day," says Melissa Joy Dobbins, MS, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). "That means some kids go as long as 15 hours—or more—without food." That doesn't just leave their stomachs growling, it also impacts their ability to learn.
Kids who fuel up in the morning focus and concentrate better in the classroom and perform better on math, reading and standardized tests. They also have fewer behavior problems and are less likely to be tardy. Conversely, ADA's The State of Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Report: Are We Making Progress? finds that even a child who is well nourished but skips breakfast can have problem-solving difficulties that are serious enough to lower their test taking ability.
If getting your clan to eat breakfast is a challenge try these simple suggestions:

• Nix late night noshing: Many kids aren't hungry for breakfast because they snack at night. Try telling your kids the kitchen is closed after dinner and you'll be surprised how much hungrier they are in the morning.
• Prep the night before: Getting breakfast on the table is tricky for most busy families. Setting the breakfast table at night can make your morning a little smoother. While you're at it, why not put out a few boxes of whole-grain cereal for kids to pick and choose from? All they'll have to do in the morning is pour and add milk.
• Start small: If your family doesn't usually eat anything in the morning, it may take a while to develop the habit. Starting with a mini meal of yogurt topped with low-fat granola or a small slice of whole-wheat toast can make the transition easier.
• Set the alarm 10 minutes earlier: Hectic mornings can make it difficult for kids (and parents) to find time for breakfast. Waking up just a few minutes earlier provides time to squeeze in a quick morning meal.
• Dress first, eat second: Kids are more likely to feel hungry once they've had a chance to wake up.
• Make sure you're well stocked: No time to cook? No problem. Quick-fix foods like whole-grain cereal, string cheese, berries, yogurt, and whole-wheat toast, mini bagels and English muffins make grabbing breakfast a cinch.
• Be a good role model: "Kids mimic their parent's behavior," says Dobbins. "So make it a habit to sit down and eat breakfast with your kids every morning."

by Karen Ansel, MS RD

Attendance Matters

We had our first awards assembly of the year on Thursday.  We recognized students and staff who were here 95% of the time as well as students who received positive office referrals.  Mrs. Johnson took lots of pictures; hopefully those will show up on Facebook or a bulletin board near you.  Next month we will recognize students with perfect attendance for the first trimester.  We enjoyed a musical performance by kindergartners and third graders.  We hope to have musical performances at all of our assemblies this year.  We were pleased to see the parents who were able to attend.  Thanks for coming!

We announced the winners of our October Bingo Challenge.  Mr. Schmitz and Mr. Schechinger’s classes tied, so they both won a popcorn party.

For November we are participating in the Lysol Blue Ribbon Attendance Challenge.  They are offering $25,000 in prizes.  You can learn more about it on their website:  http://www.lysol.com/mission-for-health/schools/attendance-challenge
The focus of the challenge is on keeping healthy so we don’t miss school.

We will have an awards assembly each month.  We are currently working on the schedule for the rest of the year so parents have more notice of the date and time.  We would love to see more parents there to celebrate good attendance with us.