Bobcats Making Headlines

The 2020 Marshalltown High School Homecoming Court has been named, and the 14 students up for selection as Homecoming royalty this year include: 

• Queen candidates: Maggie Augustine, Emma Bair, Milagros Barajas, Holly Braga, Avery Case, Anna Diiorio, and Natalie Duncan.
• King candidates: Brendan Bates, Ethan Benscoter, Malik Haynes, Noah Hermanson, Eli Thiessen, Carson Williams, and Sergio Zaragoza. 

The 2020 Homecoming King and Queen coronation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 18, at Leonard Cole Field, ahead of the 7 p.m. Homecoming game, where the Bobcats will face the Fort Dodge Dodgers.

Homecoming Spirit Week kicks off today, and students are encouraged to show off their Bobcat Spirit with red and blue school apparel throughout the week. 

Please note: In order to ensure a safe, healthy and fun Homecoming week for everyone in the community, there will be no Homecoming Parade or float building activities this year. Additionally, Powder Puff/Powder Buff games and the Homecoming Dance will not take place this year. 

We look forward to an exciting Homecoming Spirit Week! Go Bobcats!

Marshalltown Schools employees at all levels have been working hard in the face of challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic since the early closure of schools in March; in that time, four MCSD employees have performed spectacularly in their respective roles. 

District Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte presented special awards to Buildings and Grounds administrative assistant Jennifer Gray, Student Technology Device Coordinator Jennifer Harrington, District Lead Nurse Stacey Tool-Crawford, and District Director of Instruction Dr. Lisa Stevenson at the Marshalltown School Board meeting Tuesday evening. 

“We try to every quarter recognize employees who go up and beyond the call of duty in their respective roles,” Dr. Schutte said. “I wanted to turn that recognition into a special recognition for people who have really gone, in my opinion, way up and above the call of duty as it relates both to our COVID-related closure from the spring to the summer planning to the new school year.” 

Each awardee has shown outstanding work ethic, professionalism, and perseverance throughout the challenging coronavirus situation. 

Jennifer Gray – Buildings and Grounds Administrative Assistant
Gray has been described as “the glue that holds it all together” at the MCSD Buildings and Grounds Department. She has been a crucial member of the team during a time when the department has been adding new safety measures throughout the District, from deep-cleaning to hand sanitizer stations to signage.

Jennifer Harrington – Student Technology Device Coordinator
Ensuring all Bobcat students had access to a District Chromebook at home was a major undertaking for the MCSD Technology Department, and Harrington has been at the center of that effort. She has also focused on coordinating device support for students and families going into a new school year featuring virtual and hybrid classes.

Dr. Lisa Stevenson – District Director of Instruction
Ensuring MCSD students have access to high-quality, engaging curriculum in three different learning models during a pandemic is no easy task, but Dr. Stevenson was more than up to the challenge. She led the District’s Return to Learn planning process this summer and will continue to oversee the education of thousands of young Bobcats this school year.

Stacey Tool-Crawford – District Lead Nurse
The coronavirus situation presented plenty of challenges this year, and Tool-Crawford has shown great leadership and initiative in response to the pandemic. She has been vital to the District’s planning of health and safety measures, communication regarding coronavirus, and keeping her colleagues up-to-date on the constantly-changing public health situation. She has also shown exceptional leadership for MCSD nursing staff during an unprecedented time. 

After several months of Return to Learn planning, implementation of safety measures  and staff training, Marshalltown Schools welcomed Bobcat students back to classes Tuesday. 

Whether students were learning in a school classroom or virtually from their living room, MCSD teachers, principals and staff were happy to interact with their pupils for the first time in a long while.  

Multiple safety measures were firmly in place by the time students arrived for classes Tuesday morning. Social distancing measures, hallway directional markers, a face covering requirement, readily-available hand sanitizer stations, and signage communicating health and safety expectations are all new, necessary additions this school year.

Beyond the changes to their physical surroundings, Bobcat students will also be supported by caring staff who have had extensive health and safety training – including coronavirus-specific training – thanks to the SafeSchools program brought to the District earlier this year. 

While this school year will present unique challenges for all public school students, families, and staff, Marshalltown Schools staff are committed to providing the safest, most enriching and engaging academic environment possible. 

See below for a look at the first day of school Tuesday. Let’s make it a great school year!

Hundreds of Marshalltown Community School District employees – from teachers and paraeducators to Food Service, Transportation, Buildings and Grounds staff, and more – are hard at work preparing for the first day of the 2020-21 school year on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The end of the 2019-20 school year did not go as expected, and the presentation of the Superintendent’s Star awards – given to exceptional MCSD employees – had to be delayed. During this week’s MCSD Staff Welcome Back ceremony, Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte recognized these 10 deserving Stars:

Jennifer August – Instructional coach at Fisher Elementary
Jennifer has earned the respect of her colleagues over many years of teaching and coaching. She takes the time and effort to study and understand the curriculum in order to effectively support and coach teachers as they implement the curriculum in their classrooms. She has the ability to think outside the box and come up with appropriate solutions to challenges at the classroom or system level. Jennifer has a great sense of humor and is approachable by all staff and parents. She is a great asset for Fisher Elementary and the Marshalltown Community School District.

Dee Burt – Curriculum and Professional Development Leader (ret.) at Central Office
Dee was instrumental in the District’s efforts to develop Bobcat Ready college and career readiness program for Marshalltown High School and Miller Middle School. She worked tirelessly to create substantive and mutually beneficial school-business partnerships within our community – both formal work-based learning experiences and the development of the rich, meaningful Teacher Externship Academy.

Erin Faas – Teacher librarian at Rogers Elementary
Erin has been helpful and flexible in giving students and staff one-to-one and/or small group support in academic, behavior, and technological areas. She provides a listening ear when people need to vent, breathe, or just connect. Erin takes on leadership roles in various teams and projects, and has helped the special education department when they need extra scheduling support. Her big heart extends to all, and she has gone over the top to help students, families and staff with new learning. Rogers Elementary and Marshalltown Community School District are lucky to have Erin Faas.

Nicole Holman-Lankelma – Extended Learning Program (XLP) Instructor at Woodbury, Hoglan, and Anson elementary schools
Nicole encourages all of her students to be the best version of themselves that they can be. She works with advanced students at the elementary level and does her best to meet their social-emotional health needs as well as develop their academic skills. She understands the gifted student and helps teachers tap into their potential, even when she is not at the school building that day. Nicole embodies positivity and shines wherever she is.

Troy Long – Project Lead the Way (PLTW) teacher at Miller Middle School
Troy’s entire personality is centered around building strong relationships with everyone he encounters. He humanizes his class, his teaching, and his role as an educator. He routinely connects the content of his course with real-life situations with which students can relate. Troy also connects with staff at Miller; he is a positive force who embodies the phrase “Life-long Learner.” He actively embraces different approaches and strives to incorporate best practices into his daily routine.

Ryan Miller – Paraeducator at Marshalltown High School
Ryan is dependable and performs his job up and above expectations. The special education department relies on Ryan each and every day. He shows compassion and respect to all the students he works with. He has a great sense of humor and attacks every day with a positive attitude.

Ted Piscitelli – District Transportation bus driver
Ted is one of the most caring individuals that anyone would want on their team. He is always concerned about the wellbeing of everyone and constantly goes above and beyond to make things better. Ted was instrumental in helping train new drivers and giving guidance to new monitors when they joined the transportation team. He carries his commitment on improving student experiences by making changes to his routes as needed; he is constantly looking at ways to improve pick-ups and drop-offs at homes and school. Ted is a leader through his actions.

Nancy Mayer

Calvin Scales

Karla Sperry

Nancy Mayer, Calvin Scales, and Karla Sperry: MCSD Food Service Managers
Nancy, Calvin, and Karla have demonstrated their strength as a team. They rise to the occasion to get the work done so that our students are fed. They are the cornerstones for all of the positive happenings in the Food Service Department.
Nancy brings the attention to detail. She orchestrates all of the little things. Calvin has a natural knack for logistics, making sure things are done effectively and efficiently. Karla brings positivity every day, always ready to remind her Food Service team that “We’ve got this!” To say these three work tirelessly is an understatement. They continue to do more, and do whatever it takes to feed the children of Marshalltown. They pitch in however and wherever needed.

Dr. Schutte said the Superintendent’s Stars recognized this week are exceptional due to their strong moral compass, ability to build trust and relationships, work ethic, positive influence on others, problem-solving skills and motivation.

Addressing the many returning staff members during this week’s Staff Welcome Back event, Dr. Schutte said he is proud to be part of an excellent MCSD team.

“I can honestly say, having been a graduate of this fine school district, that I’ve never been prouder, I’ve never been more energized, I’ve never been more excited to do what we do on a daily basis in order to try to help all of our students and the families of our students be in a position of success,” he said.

Marshalltown School Board President Bea Niblock also shared encouraging words with returning District employees. She emphasized the importance of communication with students and students’ families, coworkers, friends, and loved ones during the school year.

“We have the best educators and staff right here in Marshalltown,” Niblock said. “Every one of you believes all kids can learn. You are an amazing group of people, and I applaud you.”

MCSD Head Transportation Mechanic Kevin Beye discusses his long career in the school transportation industry in a recent School Transportation News article.

MCSD Head Transportation Mechanic Kevin Beye was featured by School Transportation News in a recent article.

Beye has more than four decades of experience as a school transportation mechanic, and in the article he shares the many ways in which the career has changed over the years. The article also discusses the important role Beye plays as part of the MCSD Transportation team.

The MCSD Transportation Department oversees nearly four dozen school buses, as well as several smaller transportation, facility, and food service vehicles.

See the full School Transportation News article on Beye here.

Signs like these have been placed throughout MCSD school buildings to remind students and staff of social distancing expectations.

While this year’s school start date had to be rescheduled due to the Aug. 10 derecho, MCSD staff have been working hard to prepare each and every District building to welcome students back to school on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

One key change students and staff will note are the safety information signs which adorn everything from hallways to classrooms and cafeterias to bathrooms. These signs will make it as easy as possible to know the expectations and rules in place, including the requirement of an approved face-covering and social distancing measures.

In addition, students and staff will have plenty of access to hand sanitizer, with sanitizer stations placed throughout each building. Enhanced deep cleaning and sanitation of school buildings is another key safety measure being taken.

For more information on the MCSD Return to Learn plan, including the multiple safety measures being put in place this fall, please visit the Return to Learn webpage.

MCSD is implementing multiple safety measures this school year, including health and safety reminder signage (top), hand sanitizer stations placed throughout school buildings (bottom left), plexiglass dividers (bottom right), and more.

MCSD Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte, left, and Miller Middle School Co-Principal Kristyn Kell, right, work with fellow District staff to unload frozen food from a JBS semi trailer last week.

The Aug. 10 derecho caused power outages all over Marshalltown and central Iowa, and the MCSD Food Service Department had to move quickly to save thousands of food items from freezers after the storm.

Food Service staff were joined by MCSD volunteer employees and students to load every frozen food item from District freezers to a JBS Marshalltown semi trailer equipped with a freezer.

The trailer kept all of the food items at frigid temperatures while electrical crews worked to restore power. When the school freezers were back up and running, Bobcat staff and students again came together to return the food to the freezers.

We at MCSD are incredibly grateful to JBS for providing a semi trailer to temporarily store frozen food. This is yet another example of the strong partnerships between Marshalltown Schools and community businesses.

The derecho has caused challenges for thousands of Bobcat families, but we are persevering and together we will come out of this challenging time Marshalltown Stronger!

MCSD computer technician Sebastian Ramirez brings a cart of frozen food back to Lenihan Intermediate School.

MCSD employee Chris Blanchard has personally built dozens of plexiglass dividers. The dividers are part of a district-wide strategy to ensure safety in the coming school year.

Marshalltown Schools Buildings and Grounds employee Chris Blanchard is using his carpentry skills on a project to help ensure student and staff safety in the coming school year. 

Blanchard has recently built more than dozen plexiglass dividers, aiding a District-wide effort to provide dividers, face coverings, ample hand sanitizer, and other significant safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the 2020-21 school year. 

“I just knew we needed dividers,” he said, adding he started by measuring and cutting sheets of plexiglass. “I went and measured everything, and just went off of that.” 

With each new divider, Blanchard said the building process became easier and more efficient. He said he was careful to customize the dividers to fit each desk properly.  

For more information on the multitude of safety measures being taken at all MCSD school buildings in the coming school year, visit the District Return to Learn webpage. 

Bobcat University third graders count on their fingers during a fractions lesson.

This year’s Bobcat University program continues to bring summer learning to hundreds of MCSD students, despite challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

For the past five weeks, Bobcat U students in grades K-8 have been learning in a virtual setting through video conferencing with teachers. While teachers and students may not meet face-to-face, crucial learning is still happening every day.

“The Bobcat U teachers have done a great job implementing classroom routines, engaging students in content, and exploring new technology resources,” said Hoglan fourth grade teacher Clare Wing, one of this year’s Bobcat U elementary coordinators. “While Bobcat U is different from previous years, this opportunity has allowed us to engage with students and provide meaningful learning opportunities.”

Bobcat University students get some practice with the Whiteboard.fi digital education tool during class this week.

She said students focus on several areas of learning each day in class. For example, elementary students focus on essential math standards, hone their reading skills with Really Great Reading lessons, and advance their literary prowess with Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) exercises.

In previous summers, Bobcat U students came to in-person learning at District school buildings for four weeks, with academic learning in the morning and educational enrichment activities with several community partners in the afternoon.

Students not enrolled in Bobcat University can still access high-quality summer learning resources through the MCSD Learn from Home website, where new PK-8 lessons will continue to be uploaded  weekly until July 31.

MCSD staff helped families and students register for the 2020-21 school year Wednesday at the Miller Middle School gym. In-person registration support will continue Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Summer is well underway in Marshalltown, and now is the time for parents to be registering their children for school this fall.

While online registration for the 2020-21 school year has been ongoing since July 1, MCSD is holding in-person school registration at the Miller Middle School gymnasium this week in order to support all Bobcat families in getting their children registered.

In-person registration will continue today – Wednesday, July 15 – from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Miller gym, and will continue Thursday, July 16 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All parents/guardians and students who come to in-person registration must wear a face-mask for safety, and all MCSD staff will wear face-masks. Surfaces in the gym will be cleaned throughout the day. Students and families should also prepare for the day’s weather before coming to in-person registration.

For more information on online and in-person school registration for the 2020-21 school year, please visit the MCSD School Registration web page.

Students and families who come to in-person registration at the Miller gym should dress for the day’s weather and be prepared to wait in their vehicle until their turn comes to enter the building. Once inside, MCSD staff will offer registration support, answer questions, ensure surfaces are clean, and more.