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Another activity involved a fun activity, while helping many. On Dec. 3, students were able to wear hats – some festive, others funny, some large and some small – by simply bringing in $1. The proceeds from the hat day were donated to the Des Moines Dream Center, which provides food and resources to those in need. We are fortunate to have a family that dedicates its efforts twice monthly by handing out food to many individuals.

Being service minded is a skill that is instilled at an early age and carries on into adulthood. Jensen is thankful to have such wonderful students, staff and families, who are willing to serve others. As we continue through the school year, we will have more chances to develop our character and citizenship!

Karen Acres

Teaching students to be electricians is not necessarily part of the curriculum. However, as we've begun to explore how energy works, our fifth-grade class experimented on what it takes to make an electrical circuit. Given a battery, light bulb and some wires, our students became scientists as they constructed two different circuits. Seeing them persevere and watching their eyes “light up” as their light bulbs did the same was exciting to see. While we may not qualify as professional electricians, we did experience how learning with our hands can be a great way to teach our minds something much more complicated.

Karen Acres held an assembly on caring. Eileen Boggess from the Urbandale Food Pantry came and shared with the children the role of the food pantry and what they could do to help out. The kids learned that even if you don't have extra supplies at home you can still help by showing up on Saturdays to help stock shelves or by going up to someone you know is in need and suggest the food pantry.

December is the month for caring and here at Karen Acres the students showed their willingness to reach out and give to those less fortunate by donating items to the food bank. Kristin Pawlowski and Matt Cibula presented the items to the food pantry showing just how big the hearts of our students are.

Olmsted

Olmsted will host the monthly kindergarten committee and general PTO meetings the evening of Jan. 5. The meetings are held in the media center with the kindergarten committee meeting at 6 p.m. with the PTO meeting following at 7 p.m.

Rolling Green

Dec. 17 – Desserts for December, support food pantry – K/1 Dibels mid-year assessment – Popcorn Thursday and School Store Thursday – Original artwork projects are sent home today (PTO fundraiser) – 8 to 8:45 a.m. Webclickers in the Rolling Green computer lab.

Dec. 18 – 6 to 7 p.m. Spirit Night at the high school. Free to Rolling Green students.

Webster

On Friday, students in Nancy Carlson and Kim Jorgensen's classes attended a performance of the Nutcracker ballet at the Civic Center. Also on Friday, top-selling students for the fall fundraiser were treated to a limo ride during their lunch period.

On Monday, Michelle Denneny's first-grade class presented its broadcast of the Webster News. Next Monday's news broadcast will be courtesy of Lisa Schaub's first-grade classroom.

Student council members at Webster have taken on a new project. They are collecting loose change to help a fellow Urbandale student. Zac Duncalf, a fourth-grade student who attends Rolling Green Elementary, has T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia. The student council would like to collect enough money to buy Zac a portable DVD player and maybe help his family pay some of their bills. The class that collects the most money will win the opportunity to eat lunch in their classroom with their teacher.

Hearing tests will be held today and again tomorrow. Also on Friday, there will be a band rehearsal at 8 a.m. with band lessons held throughout the day.

J-Hawk Huddles will be held at 2:45 p.m. on Friday.

Monday is Pride and Spirit Night for Webster students at the Urbandale High School boys' basketball game. Webster students will receive tickets that allow them to attend the game for free when accompanied by a paying adult.

There will be a band rehearsal at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Winter break begins Wednesday. There will be no classes. Winter break will continue through the holiday season with classes resuming Jan. 4.

Physical education classes at Webster, as well as the other five Urbandale elementary schools, are benefiting from some extra soccer instruction. John Sheridan, better known as “Shedzy,” is the lead instructor for the Urbandale Soccer Club. He, along with other assistants from the soccer club, donate their time to bring their knowledge of the game to Urbandale students. The students are taught not only beginning soccer skills but also fun soccer lead-up games. Webster P.E. teacher, Jodi Schutt, is grateful for the added assistance and the kids all seem to really enjoy Shedzy's instruction as well.

Valerius

Upcoming events: – Monday – Pride and Spirit Night at Urbandale High School basketball games – Tuesday – Winter classroom parties, 2:45 p.m. – Wednesday through Jan. 3 – Holiday break, no school – Jan. 4 – Back to school (D day)

Karen Kuhns' class is now working on the second issue of its classroom newsletter. The students are given time before they break into groups to brainstorm ideas on math, reading, writing, homeroom learning and extra activities in the classroom. Students can choose what article they want to be a part of writing. (However, sometimes Kuhns' has to make the final decision when there are too many students in one group.) They begin with a title and a good hook to start. They must share the responsibility of writing and brainstorming what to write. Once they are done and the articles have been edited, Kuhns types them up alongside classroom photos and the copies are sent home for the parents and students to enjoy.

Valerius families have participated in a used book drive and are currently working on a used game drive. Children brought in more than 400 used books which, were divided among all of the classrooms. The teachers and the kids were very excited about these new additions to their classroom libraries. Used games are the name of the game now. With cold temperatures and the possibility of indoor recess, games are in high demand. If you would like to donate either used books or games, please call our office at 457-6500 or drop them off to us at our office at 3305 92nd St. We appreciate your support.

Middle School

Eighth-grade family and consumer science classes are beginning the money management unit. We will discuss past, present and future trends in types of money, will learn about budgeting, and a little about using and maintaining a checking account. Students have been encouraged to ask parents about money management in their homes.

Winter break is Dec. 23 through Jan. 1, with school resuming Jan. 4. Have a good break!

Eighth-grade family and consumer sciences experienced some true international cuisine. We have several students from Liberia and other coastal African countries in our class, so we asked them to help create a dish that was common to their culture. With the help of our African interpreter, Mark Nyemah, Carla Madson made a trip to an African grocery on Douglas Avenue and purchased the ingredients to make a meat and vegetable soup, and also the Cassava/yam flour to make fufu. Fufu is a type of dough ball that is served with the soup. Students created the dish as a group, and everyone had the opportunity to taste it. They also discussed several other versions of the dish and which types they preferred. Students who helped cook were: Gissell Nahimana, Agnes Gabbidon, Nanziza Nafuraha, Tomata Doe and Richel Baye.

High School

The yearbook staff is wanting to help you declutter your life! They are offering to scan all of your boxed up photos onto CDs. Yearbook has brand new high quality scanners that are ready to be put to work. Cost is: 10 cents a picture and $3 per CD. Contact Angela Moench at moencha@urbandale.k12.ia.us if you are interested.

DECA is doing a fundraiser to help raise money for muscular dystrophy (MDA). They are selling cookbooks with more than 600 recipes for $10. All proceeds from the books go to MDA. Cookbooks are available in the high school office. Make checks payable to DECA.

Now that the old building is gone and the finishing touches are nearly completed on the new campus, Urbandale High School is selling commemorative ornaments. They feature a view of the front of the old building along with dates of its existence. For more information about ordering, please see the high school Web site at urbandaleschools.com or contact the high school office. Ornaments are $10 each.

The Financial Aid Night is 6 to 7 p.m. tonight in the Performing Arts Center.

Dec. 23 through Jan. 3 – no school (winter break)

Jan. 6 through 8 – finals

With the completion of the west parking lot at Urbandale High School, we are asking that all spectators attending events in the high school gymnasiums and the Performing Arts Center park in that space, west and south of the main entrance to the high school. When attending events in the gym, there are sets of doors that will be open near the PAC entrance and at the southwest corner of the building. When attending events in the PAC, please use the doors under the sign marked Performing Arts Center. The doors off the east parking lot (near Frerichs' Field) will be locked on nights when there are events at the school. Since providing a safe environment for our students and staff is of great importance, we would ask your help in obeying posted signs and marked fire lanes which restrict parking, not only during the school day, but also at nights and on the weekends at all buildings.

Dallas Center-Grimes Schools

South Prairie Elementary

Second-grade students at South Prairie have been studying about Iowa. They have used maps to locate different points of interest within the state. We are also learning about the products the state produces.

Rachel Wadle's class is preparing for its community service project this year. The kids are bringing school supplies all week to donate to a school in Mexico. Throughout the week we are learning about how the kids in Mexico celebrate Christmas. We are learning a song in Spanish and making decorations for Christmas like they do in Mexico. At the end of the week we are having a fiesta to celebrate our citizenship.

The gingerbread man is on the run in kindergarten at South Prairie. Our kindergarten classes have been comparing and contrasting different versions of the gingerbread man story. Once we read them all, we wrote about our favorite one and illustrated our favorite part in that story. We've made puppets to retell the story with partners. We even decorated our own gingerbread men.

The first-grade students at South Prairie Elementary are getting in the holiday spirit by studying different multicultural holidays, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas. They read books, have many activities and learn the traditions of these different holiday celebrations.

Dallas Center Elementary

Professional learning communities: We know and understand that collaboration for teachers is critical to improving teaching and learning. As a staff, we are beginning to study professional learning communities. In fact, beginning in January, our building leadership team will begin a book study on this concept, as a proactive way to plan for next year. The professional learning community model flows from the assumption that the core mission of formal education is not simply to ensure that students are taught but to ensure that they learn. As the school moves forward, every professional in the building must engage with colleagues in the ongoing exploration of three crucial questions that drive the work of those within a professional learning community: What do we want each student to learn? How will we know when each student has learned it? How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? Secondly, educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all. Therefore, they create structures to promote a collaborative culture. Thirdly, professional learning communities judge their effectiveness on the basis of results. Working together to improve student achievement becomes the routine work of everyone in the school. Every teacher team participates in an ongoing process of identifying the current level of student achievement, establishing a goal to improve the current level, working together to achieve that goal, and providing periodic evidence of progress.

The fifth-grade musical was held Dec. 3. There was a full house and the performance was delightful. The students also performed the musical for teachers and students on Friday morning. It was a hit.

North Ridge Elementary

Nothing submitted.

Middle School

The fifth- through eighth-grade bands will hold their winter concert tonight in the high school auditorium. The fifth- and sixth-grade students will perform at 6:30 p.m. The concert for the seventh- and eighth-grade students will begin at 7:30 p.m. Students should dress in black pants, socks and shoes, white shirts and their red, music sweaters.

The middle school vocal concert has been rescheduled to Monday at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

The winter dance will be held at the middle school Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. A shuttle bus will leave South Prairie Elementary at 5:45 p.m. and return at 9:15 p.m. Entry fee for the seventh- and eighth-grade students will be $5. The entry fee will include pizza and soda.

The end of the second quarter at the middle school will be Wednesday.

Dec. 17 – Fifth- and sixth-grade band concert, 6:30 p.m. – Seventh- and eighth-grade band concert, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18 – Seventh-grade boys' basketball at ADM, 4:15 p.m. – Seventh-grade girls' basketball with ADM, 4:15 p.m., middle school – Eighth-grade girls' basketball with Winterset, 4:15 p.m., North Ridge

Dec. 19 – Middle school dance, 6 to 9 p.m.

Dec. 24 to Jan. 4 – No school (winter break)

High School

Sign up for second semester drivers education, held January through March. Go to office and sign up, get a parent permission sheet. Must sign up by Jan. 8.

Sign up for spring semester drivers education, held March through May. Go to office and sign up, get a parent permission sheet. Must sign up by Jan. 8.

In order to offer spring drivers education, at least 18 must sign up for second semester and at least 18 must sign up for spring. If this doesn't happen we will cancel spring semester, and those who wanted spring semester can take it second semester or next summer.

Johnston Schools

District

Teamwork, innovative solutions to real world problems, and a lot of hard work is what it took for the Johnston-based Dragons Team 5975 to win the second place champion's award at this weekend's First Lego League (FLL) Des Moines regional qualifier. The team received a trophy and medallions for each team member to commemorate their achievement. They also earned the opportunity to participate in the Iowa championship, hosted by the Iowa State University College of Engineering on Jan. 16 at Howe Hall in Ames. First Lego League is an international program created in a partnership between FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and The Lego Group in 1998. It is based on a common belief that fun and learning go hand-in-hand, and that an inspired mind can accomplish anything. Children work alongside adult mentors to conduct a research project and to design, build, and program robots using Lego Mindstorms technologies and Lego play materials to complete missions based on real-world challenges. After eight intense weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments. Children and their coaches from 25 teams gathered at the event, held at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines, to celebrate science and technology and present their solutions to issues in modern transportation as part of the FLL Smart Move Challenge. The competition was judged in four areas: project presentation; robot performance; technical design and programming of the robot; and teamwork. The champion's award is the most prestigious award that a team can win. It celebrates the ultimate success of the mission and FLL core values. “I am so proud of the team and all of their accomplishments during the 2009 Smart Move season. The kids had a lot fun, learned new skills, and were inspirational. Winning the award was simply the icing on the cake. I know I speak for all of the parents when I say their efforts and positive attitudes made us all very proud,” said Dan Thomas, team coach, This is the first year that Dragons Team 5975 has competed in a FLL competition. The team would also like to recognize Ron Grilliot of BAE Systems, Alex Streicher of 3E Electrical Engineering and Equipment Company, and Climb Iowa for their outstanding support of the team. The team members are students at both Summit Middle School and Horizon Elementary in Johnston. Team members includes: Logan Bridges, Aaron Brown, Jackson Cunningham, Ethan Hiscocks, Elizabeth Thomas and Jacob Thomas. The team coach was Dan Thomas and mentors included Brian Bridges, Matt Brown and Paul Hiscocks.

Beaver Creek

A tree with Project Share cards was “planted” in the Beaver Creek office this month. Families and Beaver Creek staff members took the cards and provided items for Johnston school district families in need. Members of the Beaver Creek staff also work to provide gifts and other items to one family in need. All of these actions help model the Character Counts pillar of caring, which is the December pillar of the month.

Beaver Creek winter celebrations will be held Tuesday in grade level classrooms, with a few exceptions. Some classes will have their parties on a different day due to scheduling conflicts.

Horizon

First-grade students are learning about customs and traditions from around the world. Students are learning about Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali and Christmas traditions from other countries. Students are also comparing and contrasting how kids in other countries go to school, play games, and help around their homes. Polar Express Day for all kindergarten kids at Horizon will be Tuesday. Students may come to school in their pajamas. The students will be doing fun activities all day with a “Polar Express” theme.

Lawson

Our classroom winter celebrations and building holiday sing along will be held Tuesday afternoon. Students will be dismissed at the regular dismissal time to begin winter break. Classes resume Jan. 4.

Timber Ridge

Timber Ridge students are beginning to collect pop top tabs to demonstrate the pillar of caring. These tabs will be used to create instruments for our sing along at the end of the month and will be donated to our local Ronald McDonald House throughout the year. Collecting pop tabs is a great way to teach students about the importance of caring for our environment and caring for others. These tabs will be recycled and the money will be donated to Ronald McDonald Charities. For more information please visit http://rmhc.org. To motivate students, our local McDonald's restaurant will be rewarding the classroom that donates the most pop tabs. Timber Ridge students and staff began collecting the pop tabs Dec. 7 and the classroom winner will be tabulated Dec. 22.

Wallace

We are starting a new schoolwide behavior incentive – “Our Good Behavior Lights Up the Sky.” The classes are working together to demonstrate our Wallace Ways that were taught at the beginning of the year in our different common areas. Any adult in the building can recognize a class for demonstrating the Wallace Ways and then the class can fill in a portion of its class star. When the star is complete, the class's name goes on a large silver star in the main hallway. We hope to motivate students to work together as class teams and get their stars out on display.

Summit Middle

Congratulations to Dragons – Team 5975 which took second place at the First Lego League competition at the Science Center on Saturday. The team has earned a spot to compete at the state competition at Iowa State University on Jan. 16. Team members from Summit are Jackson Cunningham, Ethan Hiscocks and Jacob Thomas. Congratulations and good luck at state.

Johnston Middle

Congratulations to Johnston middle school ninth-grade band members Gabby Bierlein (flute), Kayla Linscheid (euphonium) and Blake Wilson (tuba). They were selected by audition for the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association High School Honor Band. The honor band will perform under the direction of retired Ankeny High School band director Paul Brizzi at Drake University on Jan. 9. The performance will be held in the Drake University Harmon Fine Arts Center at the corner of 25th and Carpenter at 6 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and students. The honor band will perform works by William Latham, Ankeny High School alumnus Travis J. Cross, and J.J. Richards.

Students in Carson Hattel and Kelli Ott's social studies classes worked on developing bio-historical poems. Each student chose a key figure from the American Revolution, either an American supporter or British supporter. Once chosen, students developed poems focusing on the person's traits, ambitions, outlook and personal endeavors. Following work on their bio-historical poems, students will begin focusing on the foundations on the United States, trials and errors, and the purpose and means of our American government.

Ninth-grade parents are reminded to turn in their child's certificate of dental screening, if they have not already done so. This is a new law in the state of Iowa, and is required of all ninth-grade students. There will be a free dental screening clinic during winter break on Dec. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the United Way Conference Center in downtown Des Moines. Any child up to age 20 is eligible to attend, and no appointments are needed. If more information is needed about the clinic or about the screening certificate requirements, please contact Tracy Grasso, school nurse, at 331-0909.

The ninth-grade math program is looking a little different this year at Johnston Middle School. There are still a variety of classes for students to be taking, but one of those classes has taken on some different material this year. What was once the class called Foundations of Algebra is now Bridges to Algebra. Both classes focused on building skills necessary for students to be successful in Algebra I, but Bridges to Algebra incorporates the use of technology that allows students to learn at a pace appropriate to their skill level. Approximately twice a week, students spend time in the computer lab at school, working on basic skills that they have not yet mastered. While teachers are present to help facilitate the class and answer questions, the computer program itself is really student-driven. The program also has an area with each skill in which lessons are provided and examples are shown so that students can refer back on their own to get a little refreshing if needed. The program is set up so at the beginning of the year each class starts off on the same level, but based on students' abilities and prior knowledge, individual students are able to master concepts and move on to levels that are more challenging to them at a speed unique to them. Because the program is Internet-based, if a student is absent from school, they can work on it outside of class to stay caught up. Using a program such as this has allowed for teachers to quickly identify strengths and weaknesses of students so they can focus on the weak areas to help get them ready for Algebra I.

High School

Thomas Walling placed third in the state Special Olympics bowling tournament Nov. 21. Congratulations to Thomas.

Winter break is Wednesday through Jan. 3. School will resume on Jan. 4.

First semester exam schedule: – Jan. 12 – Period 1 exam 7:55 to 9:25 a.m. Period 3 exam 9:35 to 11:05 a.m. Lunch 11:10 to 11:45 a.m. Period 5 exam 11:50 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. Revisit/make-up exam 1:30 to 3 p.m. – Jan. 13 – Period 2 exam 7:55 to 9:25 a.m. Period 6 exam 9:35 to 11:05 a.m. Lunch 11:10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Period 7 exam 11:50 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. Revisit/make-up exam 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Jan. 14 – Period 4 exam 7:55 to 9:25 a.m. Period 8 exam 9:35 to 11:05 a.m. Lunch 11:10 to 11:45 a.m. Revisit/make-up exam 11:50 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. Revisit/make-up exam 1:30 to 3 p.m. Note: For students who have block classes, they will report to the odd period for class and students will take the final during the even periods. Students only need to be in attendance for regularly scheduled classes. They do not need to attend study halls on these three days. Areas will be available for students who wish to prepare for exams in the cafeteria, LMC and student commons. Any questions regarding make-ups due to absences should be directed to a student's classroom instructor.

There will be no school Jan. 15 due to a half-day work day and half-day professional development and no school Jan. 18 due to all-day professional development.

West Des Moines and Clive Schools

Clive

Clive Elementary School's sixth-graders participated in the Steve France volleyball tournament, a districtwide competition that has all the elementary schools play one another. The Clive Elementary boys' team placed third in the district and received ribbons.

To go along with their study of constellations, Clive's sixth-graders viewed the stars in the StarLab, an inflatable planetarium that lets students view the stars as they appear in the sky. The sixth-graders learned about the circumpolar constellations as well as the constellations that appear at different times throughout the year. Students have also been learning about historical events, focusing on the Holocaust in Diane Darling's homeroom and immigration in Marla Steffen's homeroom.

Indian Hills Junior High

The second annual Indian Hills Toys for Tots drive is Dec. 14-18 in cooperation with the Marine Corps and Target stores. Students have been bringing new, unwrapped toys or cash donations to school. The collection will be turned over to representatives from the Marines at an assembly at the end of the week. Last year, three truckloads of toys and $400 were gathered for needy families in the metro area. Help Indian Hills surpass last year's total by bringing in your donations.

Valley Southwoods

As we approach the final weeks of the second quarter, semester tests are right around the corner. They are tentatively scheduled for Jan. 8-13. It is not too early to begin planning studying for these comprehensive tests. Here are a few hints for effective study skills, along with some test-taking strategies that may be helpful for your child. Useful study skills are to organize study materials, time management, using a multisensory approach, highlight or paraphrase information, use visual organizers to understand and connect main ideas, use mnemonic devices, know the test format, study with someone and make a commitment. Tips for taking tests are to read and reread the directions, consider all choices before making a choice on multiple choice questions, use logic or common sense, study similar items, look for qualifying words, avoid selecting unfamiliar items, make educated guesses, leave nothing blank, look for clues, don't change answers without a good reason and guess as a last resort.

Valley High

Valley Voices collected dance and formal dresses at the choir concert Tuesday for the Second Time Round Sale. You can still donate dresses by contacting Melissa Schnucker at 224-0594. The sale will be Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the high school cafeterias

Valley is participating in Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest. If students can memorize and recite two poems, they can participate. Poem selections and rules can be found at poetryoutloud.org. Valley will hold its competition Jan. 26 during resource in room 1321.

Walnut Creek Campus

Several Walnut Creek Campus students chose to volunteer their time, partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa for I-CARE this school year. Jas Johnson, Tyler Ergle, Erika Romar, Dylan Sassatelli, Dylan Stufflick, Kent Kehlenbeck, Jori Rand, Moriah Williams and Jessica Aguirre meet with their “littles” from Hillside Elementary School every Wednesday. They meet for 30 minutes, and do activities that build relationships while covering topics that teach trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship; being a good friend; being honest; and having good manners.

Waukee Schools

District

Winter break for the district starts Dec. 23 and students return Jan. 4.

Eason

Winter classroom parties will be held Dec. 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Maple Grove

The music department at Maple Grove Elementary has been busy performing the past few weeks. The season opened with “School House Rock Live” put on by the third-graders, followed by “Autumn is Here” by the first-grade classes. Both concerts were wonderful; we are very proud of the progress our students have made to this point and look forward to additional performances.

Performances yet to come are: – Fifth grade band and chorus during assemblies at 2 and 2:45 p.m. Monday in Maple Grove's gym. Performances are identical. – Second grade on Feb. 2 – Fourth grade on Feb. 16 – Fifth-grade band solo night on Feb. 22 – Fifth-grade band and chorus on April 20 – Kindergarten on May 18

The Code 411 graduation for fifth grade will be at 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 18.

Winter parties at Maple Grove will be Dec. 22 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Walnut Hills

Second-grade students at Walnut Hills Elementary are learning about pebbles, sand and silt as part of their science curriculum. The students have had many hands-on opportunities to investigate the properties and uses of rock in many of its particle sizes. The students worked extensively with materials, observing, comparing, and communicating what they have learned through their firsthand experiences with earth materials. Kami Clark's class took a “rock walk” looking for examples of how earth materials are used to create things around their community.

Jenifer Huyck and Marj Norris' third grade-class sent five care packages to a military unit in Iraq. Two of our students have relatives serving in the same unit. The kids collected money by doing extra chores and/or sharing their allowances in order to send food, candy and games in the care packages. They learned about adding money, spending wisely, shipping costs and taxes.

Waukee Middle

Nothing submitted

Prairieview School

The ninth-grade band will be performing in the Citrus Bowl parade and at Disney World in Orlando over the winter break.

Waukee High School

The Waukee dance team received first-place in pom, second-place in jazz, and best audio recording and academic award at the state dance team competition Dec. 4.

On Feb. 12 the girls' basketball team will host Marshalltown in the 2010 Breast Cancer Awareness basketball game. As part of the game, the Waukee activities department and the girls' basketball team are selling pink Waukee girls' basketball breast cancer awareness T-shirts to raise money for the cure. This Nike promotion includes the Waukee girls wearing pink uniforms and a $1,000 check being presented to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of Waukee High School and Nike. T-shirts can be purchased in the activities office and at several home games. The cost of the T-shirts are $15. Buy a T-shirt, support breast cancer awareness and participate in Waukee's first ever “pink out.”

Other Schools

Smouse

Nothing submitted.

Central Campus

English Language Learners students of instructor Jean Riley completed individual country presentations this week, featuring the students' home countries. Students presented PowerPoints about their countries' cultural and physical geography. In the future, some students will present to Des Moines Public Schools elementary students, serving as a geography resource.

First year culinary arts students of instructor Elaine Wolf took a trip to Iowa Methodist Hospital on Dec. 11 to meet the dietitian as they study nutrition. Students learned about the food pyramid and how to meet daily nutritional needs. They also toured the hospital's food service operations including the following: patient meals, staff cafeteria, visitor cafeteria and catering.

Students and staff worked with East High School in career development. A series of 10 career seminars are taking place the first two weeks in December. They are led by students in various career and technical classes at Central Campus. Students are presenting to interested East High sophomores. The seminars offered include the following: transportation, construction, technology and systems integration, communication/ media, educational leadership, agriculture and environmental science, health careers, family and consumer science, and career advantage. For each seminar, the East High attendees include 60-90 students.

Future Pathways

Nothing submitted.

Orchard Place

Students in the middle school classroom of Susie Carlson and Marcy Stephens are planting amaryllis bulbs as a part of their science unit on growth and development in plants. They are taking photographs of the bulbs as they begin to grow and are keeping a pictorial diary with time lapse photography as the bulbs change and develop into flowers. The students will create visual representations of the bulbs and flowers at various stages and compare/contrast the photos as they study the change process.

Ruby Van Meter

The East High School orchestra will perform at RVM today. The orchestra will play holiday music with some opportunity for everyone to sing along. Various East High students will highlight their instruments so RVM students can learn more about how the different instruments work, sound, and sound together in the orchestra.

On Dec. 1, LensCrafters at Jordan Creek mall welcomed students who needed eye exams and glasses and made it possible for them to come and get what they needed. Four students from RVM were able to take advantage of this program. They were: Greg Stewart, Georgie Dare, Ignacio Medina and Nathan VerSchuure. On Dec. 7, Sasha, the manager of that LensCrafter's store and her assistant came to fit the new glasses on the students. There was much excitement shared at having the new glasses fitted perfectly, being able to see better, and noting how handsome they were in their new glasses.

Scavo

Students are using the computer-based math program APEX. This program allows students to preview concepts, provide study guides and practice problems before taking quizzes. Students can also retake quizzes if needed. In addition, students can assess this program anywhere they have access to a computer. Students can complete assignments at a pace appropriate for their individual learning levels. Students are doing well with APEX.

Private Schools

Des Moines Christian

Congratulations to the Lions Pride Recipients for November and December. On a monthly basis, the junior high teachers of Des Moines Christian honor students who “prepare academically, serve wholeheartedly, and work diligently.” The seventh-grade recipients for November were Alejandro Galloway and Ashley Stevens. The seventh-grade recipients for December were Molly Gutshall and Michael Larson. The eight-graders honored in November were Erika Veurink and Joe Maltby. The honored eighth-graders for December were Courtney Zonnefeld and Jonathan Olson. Each of these students was asked a series of questions on a questionnaire. You may read their answers by going to the Web site, www.dmcs.org, and click on Lions Pride Recipients, November and December 2009.

During Elementary Chapel on Dec. 2, PTF President Pam Baker facilitated the drawings for the following individual box top winners – a DMCS water bottle: Kaitlin Armstrong, fifth grade; candy: Lahana Sonoiki, kindergarten; candy: Brady Hewitt, second grade; a bracelet: Samantha Kluver, second grade; Family Video gift card: Rebecca Bird, fifth grade; candy: Parker Nunn, kindergarten. A special drawing was held for students who had submitted at least 50 box tops – each of the students received two gift cards to Incredible Pizza: Lucy Meeker, kindergarten; Brady Hewitt, second grade; Alayna Bakke, third grade; and Jenna Wieskamp, first grade.

Congratulations to junior Jesse South for taking third place in the Dan Hill Invitational wrestling tournament as an Urbandale High School wrestler on Dec. 5. The UHS team was overall champion of the tournament. And congratulations to sophomores Ethan Zepp and Carson Boatman, who each took third place in the junior varsity tournament.

On Dec. 7, junior Scott Wallace took first place in the two relays that he swam for Johnston at the meet against East. Johnston won the meet.

For current results of the DMC sports teams, please see the Web site at www.dmcs.org.

On Dec. 18, elementary students will hold Christmas parties in their rooms and dismiss at 1:30 p.m. for the Christmas Break. Early Education will follow a normal schedule on those days.

Secondary students will take first semester final exams on Dec. 16-18. Early dismissal on Dec. 16 and 17 will be at 1:50 p.m. Friday's dismissal time will be at 11:35 a.m.

Dowling Catholic

The boys' swim team had a sweeping start to its season with routs over Roosevelt by both the varsity and junior varsity at the Maroons' pool on Dec. 2. DCHS won all relays in both divisions. For the varsity, senior Colby Kubat and junior Zach Welp were double individual winners. Also posting individual wins were senior Nate Johnson and freshmen Ben Severino and Geoff Root.

Dowling Catholic campus store will be open from 9:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Monday through Friday on regular school days. It will also be open from noon-3 p.m. Dec. 13 and from 9 a.m.-noon on Dec. 16-18. Next uniform order deadline is Jan. 15 for February delivery.

Good lords and ladies fair, join the Dowling Catholic performing arts department for the madrigal dinner. Performances will be at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 8, and Jan. 9 at The Great Hall of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Tickets are $25, with a special price of $15 for Dowling students available on Friday only. Please contact Denise Dornbier if you would like to purchase tickets: djdornbier2@mchsi.com or 222-9047.

DCHS recently celebrated during the annual Immaculate Conception Mass on Dec 8.

Holy Trinity

Third- and seventh-grade partners made nativity scenes out of shoeboxes and construction paper. Some of them are on display in the showcase outside the library; others will be used as centerpieces for the school's annual Christmas lunch on Dec. 18.

The Holy Trinity middle school and fifth-grade band students have been hard at work this fall. They performed a concert on Dec. 14 in the church. The 15-member middle school band performed three selections, while the 31-member fifth-grade ensemble performed two group pieces and then featured small groups and soloists.

The third-graders are learning about some of our country's historical people and places. The class also understands the time line of events as they occurred throughout the early years of the forming of our nation. We are strengthening our geography skills as we are working on a variety of map skills.

Holy Trinity students have been doing a lot of movement with music and dancing the past few weeks. A variety of music was heard coming out of the gym, anything from “Lollipop” ('60s music) to “Eye of the Tiger” to “Cotton Eyed Joe.” Several styles of dance were tried – line dance, circle mixers, social, country and more freelance (made up dances). Movement with music is great for coordination, getting aerobic exercise and was a lot of fun. We continue to stress the importance of exercise and movement for our health. Our annual Jump Rope for Heart will be coming up in February.

Iowa Christian Academy

Iowa Christian Academy students participated in a live nativity scene on Dec. 7 at West Des Moines Christian Church in West Des Moines.

Iowa Christian Academy students and faculty want to wish all Des Moines Register readers a very Merry Christmas. The school will be on break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4.

Montessori Children's House

Our Earth's solar system has been the main focus of our classroom the month of November. Our boys and girls were totally immersed into our solar system unit beginning with the study of the sun and the importance of the sun. The children in our classroom learned how important the sun is to our environment. Along those lines the children were first introduced to different kinds of plants and how plants need the sun to survive. The children were then introduced to herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. The children learned that to have no sun means no plants and no herbivores and also no carnivores, and lastly, no omnivores.

The next unit in our solar system was the actual planets involved in our Milky Way galaxy. The children learned that our sun is actually a star, not a planet. The children learned the order of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The children learned many different characteristics of each planet. The children also learned many different aspects of our Earth's moon and what an astronaut does. The children learned and got to work with many different space models, along with modules and rockets. The children learned the difference between orbiting and rotating. The solar system unit ended with the children getting to actually experience orbiting and rotating like one of our solar system planets and eating yummy astronaut food.

The month of November ended with units on turkeys and Thanksgiving. The children have had many different activities involving both turkeys and Thanksgiving. The students enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast on their last day of school before Thanksgiving break. – Joan Anthony, Sue Kozitza and Patti Beatty

Mount Olive Lutheran

Little Lambs preschool students are preparing for Christmas in their classroom through performance and visual art.

Sacred Heart

The second-graders at Sacred Heart received their first Reconciliation on Dec. 7. It was a great celebration. The children discovered one of the greatest benefits of Reconciliation is that you can celebrate it often. After Reconciliation the children were able to focus on their close relationships with God. The teachers, staff and parents are very proud of the hard work and the preparation the students did prior to receiving this wonderful Sacrament.

The eighth-grade class enjoyed a presentation by three students from Drake on body image and the media. The Drake students offered research and other information about how the media can affect adolescents' body image and self image. Following the presentations the students the presenters enjoyed lively discussions on the topics of media, body image and self image.

All Sacred Heart bands will perform at the All School Christmas Extravaganza on Dec. 18. This is the big Christmas celebration held the last day of school in 2009. In other band news, congratulations to Joe Murdock, fifth grade, who has achieved membership in the Century Club. Band members are also beginning preparations for the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association contests which will take place in February and March.

Rick Wormeli, a teacher, writer and nationally recognized speaker on the topic of differentiated instruction, will speak to the parents of Sacred Heart students on Jan. 7 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Parish Hall. In additional to speaking generally about differentiated instruction, Wormeli will also discuss the standards-based report card. During his time at Sacred Heart he will also meet with faculty and administrators about differentiated instruction. Wormeli has over 23 years of teaching experience in many different subject areas and at many different grade levels. He is a national board certified teacher and is a recipient of the Disney American Teacher Awards: Outstanding English Teacher of the Nation.

St. Anthony

St. Anthony School collected items for the Catholic Worker House this Advent season. The Catholic Worker House provides food, clothing, toiletries and shower facilities for people in need within our community. Students donated socks, soaps, bath towels, toilet paper, paper towels, plastic garbage bags, plastic grocery bags and coffee. Students participated in this Advent service project from Dec. 2-18.

The fifth-graders are writing a book for their first-grade buddies. First they interviewed their little buddies to get to know them a little better. The buddies will be one of the main characters in the book. The books will have a title page, about the author and story. We will share our stories and then present them to our little buddies for Christmas.

The fifth-grade choir students attended a live performance of “The Nutcracker” at the Civic Center on Dec. 11. They will sing at several nursing homes and then at lunch, sing at the Kaleidoscope today.

The second-grade students attended a live performance of “The Nutcracker” at Hoyt Sherman Place on Dec. 11. They have been studying music and scenes of “The Nutcracker.”

Second-grade students also created a nativity diorama at home. Students simply took a box and made a nativity scene in the box. Students could use any materials they wanted and they worked at home on this project.

St. Augustin

St Augustin 4-year-old preschool students are enjoying getting ready for Christmas. They went shopping at Santa's Closet in the library to purchase presents for their family and played lots of Christmas games in their classroom. The month of December will bring talk of Santa and the nativity. The 4-year old preschool Christmas program will be Dec. 18. The morning class will have their program at 9:15 a.m. and the afternoon class will have their program at 1 p.m. The children are free to go when the program is over which is when Christmas vacation begins.

The optional kindergarten students are enjoyed practicing songs and fingerplay for their Christmas program on Dec. 16. The students are sharing this week by bring in a symbol of Christmas. The optional kindergarten kitchen has become a cookie shop for practice with baking and counting by 10's. Playing and learning go great together. Tickets have been reserved for the Friday Funday production “The Elves and the Shoemaker” on Dec. 18 at the Des Moines Playhouse.

All students may enjoy Blue and Gold day on Dec. 18, they may dress out of uniform and show their school spirit in a St. Augustin T-shirt and jeans.

St. Francis

As we are beginning our preparation for Christmas, St. Francis is bustling with projects and activities.

All 84 of the St. Francis 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers helped to make a Christmas tree. The 4 year olds helped make the tree and the gifts underneath while the 3 year olds made the ornament and fruit flavored cereal garland. They have also been studying St. Nicholas and learning a Christmas song in American Sign Language.

In kindergarten, the pupils are learning about Christmas celebrations at school. They celebrated their first prayer service with the rest of the school. They have also become elves, changing the first letter of their names to create their alter egos. They then drew themselves in Santa's workshop. They are also learning about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

As first grade began their holiday celebrations, they wrote letters to Santa bearing their Christmas wishes ranging from world peace to games. Also, they have been learning about the long 'O' sound using holiday vernacular. They are also expanding their writing with more descriptive words, like “chilly” and “frosty” instead of cold. Pupils made imaginary pizza recipes to stretch their creativity as well.

Third grade had a speaker named Eric Idehen. Idehen is from Nigeria and focused in on citizenship and how to be responsible people. He speaks eight languages including English, Spanish, Russian and five African languages. He moved here after working in Madrid for two years. Before that he lived in Ukraine for five years. Prior to that he went to school and lived in Africa. He started an orphanage in Nigeria with his wife. Many of the children there have been adopted. He showed the third graders money and cloth from Nigeria.

The fifth grade is getting ready for their “411″ graduation. “411″ is a drug-prevention and fitness program that the class has been participating in. Also, in religion, they put on a play about the Luminous Mysteries. They are making movies on the sacraments on windows movie maker. Finally, they are studying the explorers in their social studies time.

Eighth grade experimented with dry ice on Dec. 4. They did this in correlation with their study of sublimation and the elements. First they added just cold water to the dry ice and then watched it sublimate making a fog over the bowl. After that they added some dish soap and hot water and watched the mixture make bubbles and send them over the glass. -Alex Cook, Rachel Hanna and Katherine Wenman, eighth-grade students

St. Pius X

The St. Pius X kindergarten, first- and second-grade students performed “Shepherds, Stars and a Savior” on Dec. 3 in the St. Pius X Parish Center. The full house was pleased with the program and enjoyed a different telling of the Christmas story by the shepherds, stars and sheep in the second grade.

Our middle school service group sold Christmas ornaments, made by Nicki Michels, and raised more than $2,000 for our Kids Against Hunger mission. Our school will be packaging meals in March to be sent to a country in need.

Sixth-grade students in Joe Tallman's religion class recently read the Old Testament story of Noah and the great flood. The class was then challenged to discover if the biblical ark could have been built within the boundaries of the St. Pius X campus. The sixth-graders worked in groups of four to five, converted the biblical ark, measured in cubits, to feet. The students had to brainstorm ways to measure the length, the width, and the height of the ark. As well as, create a map identifying where they measured and the distances they measured. The sixth grade did a great job with this challenge and enjoyed the opportunity to think about the bible in this hands-on way.

Mary Meysenburg, Rebecca Schmidt and Brianna Bellis, eighth-grade students, participated in the OPUS Honor Choir on Nov. 19.

Each week during Advent the children in kindergarten through second grade will be introduced to a new prophecy. We have discussed what a prophet is – a messenger for God. The prophecies were told 700 years before Jesus was born.

The sixth-grade students are busy learning all the features of the NEO 2 student laptop in technology. So far they have practiced keyboarding skills and have learned a variety of short-cut keys. Soon they will be “beaming” and “file sharing.” This trimester the sixth- graders will take a close look at the Microsoft Office programs: Word, PowerPoint and Excel. They will learn to use the more advanced features of these programs, continue to work on keyboarding skills with Type To Learn 4, and learn iMovie. This class will be using the sixth grade Information Literacy blog to practice many online skills. These skills will be essential components for classes in high school and beyond.

Students in kindergarten and first grade have been learning about books by Robert Munsch. They have listened and viewed many of his funny stories online at the Tumble Book Library. This free site is brought to us by the Des Moines Public Library. There is a link from the SPX homepage in the library section of the student Web site area. We have also been reviewing the parts of a book. (Title, author, illustrator etc.)

Several guided reading groups meet in the Independent Learner room. Students are exercising their literary analysis muscles, practicing reading aloud with expression (and sometimes accents.), and making connections between literature and their own lives. Math enrichment groups are also meeting in the IL room to participate in activities that extend, reinforce, and implement skills learned in the classroom in real-life scenarios, logical reasoning problems and math mysteries.

Instead of the regular lunch time menu, St. Pius X students enjoyed a traditional turkey feast the day before Thanksgiving served with dressing, mashed potatoes and corn. Families were invited to feast with their students at this yearly school event.

St. Pius X preschool will hold its preschool roundup on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the large meeting room of the school. The morning session is from 8-11 a.m and the afternoon session runs from noon- 3 p.m.

St Pius X kindergarten roundup will be held on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the large meeting room.

St. Theresa

St. Theresa School middle school students who made good behavior choices during trimester 1 celebrated their reward day at the Metro Ice Arena. Students spent the afternoon skating or learning how to skate. Middle school students who make good behavior choices during trimester 2 will receive a second reward day sometime in the spring.

Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry…have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere-be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.
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The shy, unannounced visitor with red eyes and blue legs was discovered by our cat. Probably attracted by the now in season and ever popular among the wildlife crowd, mulberries; he seemed very out of place on our sidewalk. Even though his kind is known for their singing capabilities this guy wasn't making a peep. I suspect he was suffering from the effects of colliding with our window. We let him rest in a cat free zone and eventually he flew away.

Approximately 4 ½ inches long, this Red-eyed Vireo was probably not quite fully grown. Adult Vireos are usually between 5 ½ to 6 ½ inches long.

Intrigued by this beautiful but rarely seen bird, I wanted to know more about it. Here are some of the interesting facts I discovered about Red-eyed Vireos.

The scientific name Vireo olivaceus translates roughly to bird species, olive green. According to the Audubon Society Pocket Guides of Familiar Birds of North America Eastern Region, Red-eyed Vireos are identified by their olive green coloration above, white underbelly, red eyes and white eyebrows bordered by black stripes. Their crown is gray and they lack wing bars. Personally, I think the blue legs stand out as a unique characteristic.

This bird is known as a persistent singer. Its songs consist of short sequential bursts with brief pauses. You can listen to a sample of their songs at Learn Bird Songs. On very hot days it may be the one of the only birds still singing.

Vireos are one of the most common songbirds which migrate from North America to South America. Yet they are hard to spot. Bird Web explains that the Vireos forage in the upper canopies of deciduous woodlands. Sometimes they will hover and may even hang upside down to gather their food. Residential areas with shade trees may attract Vireos also. Bird Web informs us that Red-eyed Vireos are monogamous. This means they will have only one partner. Female Red-eyed Vireos, however, will build their nest and incubate their eggs without help from the male.

They primarily eat insects and larvae, including aphids and caterpillars, but will eat berries.

Interestingly, the Vireo is labeled as a less energetic bird but also as a fierce fighter that will protect its nest.

In order to spot a Vireo, you usually have to look up, I feel blessed to have been able to see one up close and by looking down. This rare glimpse of a common bird has brightened my day. I hope to see him again but for now I will be content to listen for his song.

Sources:
Knopf, The Audobon Society Pocket Guides Familiar Birds of North America page 150

http:www.birdweb.org

http:www.learnbirdsongs.com

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