JCSD Students Shine at Waterloo Career Center

JCSD high school students have the opportunity to take classes at the Waterloo Career Center. Programs offered range from culinary, trades, health careers, education, IT and more. We currently have several students enrolled in the IT program. They recently shd the opportunity to participate in a service activity in which they helped New Aldaya Lifescapes residents problem solve with technology.  Residents loved the students' visit. In addition, Derek Haurum was selected as the WCC Cyber Student of the Month!

Another outstanding recognition belongs to Jack Lindaman. He was nominated and subsequently selected for the 2023 National Cyber Signing Day event which will be at the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference in Phoenix, AZ on December 4th.  The event will celebrate students who are “signing on” to cybersecurity careers. The celebratory festivities will include cheerleaders, mascots, an emcee, teachers, and state and national dignitaries to welcome students on stage to "sign on" for a future career in cyber security.

Congratulations to Marshall, Blake, Derek, and Jack for being such awesome representatives for Janesville!

Servo is Here to Serve

Therapy dogs in schools aren’t a new concept, but it is new to JCSD. This year, JCSD added therapy dog, Servo, to its staff.

Mrs. Hamil took a ceramics class once where there was a therapy dog. She felt it was a “cool experience to have something that interacted with us that wasn’t a human.” This is where the idea blossomed. The Hamil family recently bought a golden doodle puppy. His name is Servo Blue Cheese Hamil. His great demeanor lead Mrs. Hamil to believe he would make a great therapy dog. After intensive training at a Board Learn Train program in Decorah, he is now a CGC certified therapy dog that now spends his days at JCSD.

A typical day starts with a walk through the halls where Servo greets students and staff. He then returns to the art room and hangs out there the rest of the day. At the dismissal, he walks the halls again to greet students and staff.

According to owner Natalie Hamil, “Students and staff seem to LOVE having Servo at school. If he is not at school, students are bummed. Some students and staff come to the art room to come see him during their break times. There are even have a few students who are getting to spend more time with him through rewards and sensory breaks. Servo has been a really awesome addition to the room. Students seem to be more calm and quiet. Servo is still a puppy as well- so he really likes to play still! A couple students are earning “vest free” times with him where Servo gets to run and play a little more free outside! “

Recent studies suggest that school therapy dogs can reduce stress and boost academic engagement. Mrs. Hamil states, “Dogs don’t have words, just unconditional judgment free love. It’s pretty great to experience, especially in an art room.”

JCSD Girl Scouts Work Toward Bronze Award

Girl Scout Juniors in fifth and sixth grade comprise troop #2604. They recently completed a project to work towards their Bronze Award. The Bronze Award is one of the highest awards in Girl Scouts. The award is earned by completing a project that benefits the community. The girls installed benches around two trees in the front of the school and it is their hope that these benches will provide seating for those waiting before and after school as well as for classes that wish to work outdoors.

Through the project, the girls learn leadership, work with people in their community, build confidence, and develop skills—all while making the world a better place.

2nd Grade Attends National Cattle Congress

The National Cattle Congress celebrated its 113th fair this year and second graders from JCSD had the opportunity to attend.

The students were able to visit the many agricultural exhibits included in the National Cattle Congress fair. Exhibits include tractor pulls, llama shows, a dairy exhibit, the Hall of Breeds, animal exhibits, a petting zoo and much more.

Lighthouse Team Proposes New Playground Equipment

On Wednesday, May 24, the 3rd grade lighthouse group (Amelia Johnson, Alex Trulson, and Jase Norton) went to present at Fidelity Bank to gain financial support for a playground project.  The students would like to add a spider climber to the current playground to provide additional equipment for the growing student body as well as create an appealing atmosphere. The representatives of the bank plan to take the project proposal to their marketing team and also suggested the group reach out to the Legion and the Lion's Club. The Lighthouse team also plans to ask for donations from the Janesville PTA and Booster Club as well as hosting fundraisers such as bake sales and popcorn sales. The spider climber costs about $18,000 plus an additional $2000 to get the playground ready.

Leader Mrs. Pugh states, “This is one of my favorite parts of serving in this role - providing opportunities for students to lead and watching them make their ideas and dreams for our school become a reality!” She also said the kids did an amazing job on their presentation and got to learn a little more about what happens at the bank. 

To celebrate, the group stopped at Kwik Star on the way back to school for a donut or a piece of fruit.

May Day Baskets Bring Joy

The fourth grade Lighthouse group, led by Mrs. Molly Ludwig, handed out May Day Baskets to the community. This group wanted to do something special for the service groups in our community: Police, Firefighters, First Responders, City Hall, and Lions Club.

Mrs. Ludwig shares, “We put together simple boxes, decorated them, and handed them out to share some spring joy and show our appreciation for their service to our Janesville community!”

“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.” - Morgan Freeman

Country Potluck

The JCSD Sociology class was tasked with job of choosing a different county and researching to learn about the values, traditions, similarities and differences from the United States. The students chose countries from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and some smaller ones not as commonly thought of.

Teacher Ms. Logsdon states, “They did an amazing job and the last part of the project was to create their own food to represent their country! It was such a fun day.”

Each student prepared food to share with the class. The food was delicious and students left with full bellies. Ms. Logsdon hopes that the students learned to appreciate other cultures.

Rain or Shine

On Saturday, May 6th, the Janesville Honor Society hosted its 4th annual 5k Run/Walk. With the help of local sponsors (North Iowa Counseling, Modern Builder, Tim and Mikes, 319 Nails, Vector Daze, Kwik Star, and Lumber Yard) the event was a success. There was a bit of a setback due to the uncooperative weather, but that didn't stop the runners from waiting patiently.

Stories were exchanged by veteran runners. One gentleman shared that before the pandemic he would participate in 45-50 marathon and 5k races every year. He shared some of the extreme weather conditions he endured while participating…he wasn't afraid of a little rain.

Once the thunder and lighting subsided, and the rain was more subtle, the JHS students were ready to get the ball rolling for the runners. The race finally kicked off at 8:45 am. At 20:08.21 the first runner crossed the finish line. The race was finished within 55 minutes and 27 seconds.

The Honor Society hosted 26 runners, including our former Honor Society advisor, Nolan Hovland. The students hope to have more participants next year. Honor students have already started planning the 2024 5K and will have more details to come at the beginning of the 23'-24' school year. 

Which Dog Are You?

This semester, the sophomores at JCSD have been participating in a leadership training led by school counselor, Chad Angel, and a few seniors. The group met a few times a month to read and discuss The Positive Dog.

The story is about a negative mutt named Matt and a big dog named Bubba who teaches him how to feed himself with positivity each day. In the process, Matt transforms his own life and the shelter they call home.

The moral of the story: we all have two dogs inside of us…one that is positive, happy, optimistic, and hopeful, and one dog that is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic, and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most!

Author Jon Gordon states, “The Positive Dog is an inspiring, heartwarming story that not only reveals the strategies and benefits of being positive but also an essential truth for humans: Being positive doesn't just make you better. It makes everyone around you better."

Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for the environment. It was first held on April 22, 1970 and each year, people around the world participate in activities such as picking up litter and planting trees to help make our planet a healthier, happier place to live. Janesville CSD ran an early dismissal schedule to allow all students the opportunity to participate in the festivities. Pictured below are students doing their part to protect our planet.

Thank You School Board

The Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) invites communities to celebrate and thank their local school board members during School Board Recognition Month, which runs May 1-31.

"School board members serve to make a difference for students and ensure they have the building blocks needed for future success. They are committed to student achievement first and foremost-but also tend to the foundational elements, such as the budget, policies, and district culture to make informed decisions impacting the entire community. Please join me throughout the month of May in thanking these board members," said IASB Board President Liz Brennan. 

School Board members volunteer countless hours on board work each month. They don’t receive compensation but they enjoy helping students prepare for the future.

Please extend a sincere “thank you” to the current JCSD school board members for their dedication to the school and community.

President - Barb Reid (21 years)

Vice-President - Tracy Meyer (14 years)

Teresa Gergen (10 years)

Jodi Durnil (8 years)

Scott Kipp (2 years)

JCSD Students Thrive at WCC

The past few years, students at Janesville CSD have had the opportunity to participate in classes at the Waterloo Career Center. The belief of WCC is to provide students the opportunity to explore careers with hands-on experiences helping them develop a competitive advantage to live the lifestyle they want. Janesville students have participated in the following classes at the WCC:

Construction:  Keegan Eastman, Joe Kiene, Tyler Hoodjer, Cameron Wetzel

Culinary:  Alex Oltmann, Ethan Hjelmeland, Gabe Meaney, Devin Weekly, Elijah Walters Cameron Wetzel, Trevor Dirks

Sports Marketing:  Gabe Meaney & Dawson Graham

Emergency Medical Technician:  Gayle Robinson

Early Childhood Education:  Laney Eibey

CNC Machining:  Cameron Wetzel

Marketing;  Cameron Wetzel

Graphic Design:  Mya Seegers

Drawing & Composition:  Mya Seegers

Cyber Security:  Anna Gregorsok, Elijah Walters, Jack Lindaman

Web Development;  Trevor Dirks, Elijah Walters

Senior Laney Eibey has taken multiple classes through WCC. She states, “I chose to take a variety of classes because I was trying to decide between a career in nursing or teaching. Taking these classes has helped me get field experience without having to pay for anything and it helped me make up my mind about what I want to do after high school.” Other students say the classes are fun because they are hands on. Students learn skills that can be transferred to real life application. Another students states, “The teachers make class fun and allow us to learn everything on our own with trial and error.”

The WCC has received national recognition. Recently, Representative Ashley Hinson visited the career center to recognize students who participated in the “Congressional App Challenge.” This was part of the web programming and cybersecurity classes. Hinson watched as the students demonstrated what they have been working on and talked to them about future plans.

The Waterloo Career Center holds events to recognize students’ efforts. In April, the Career Center held a Class of ‘23 Decision Day to celebrate students as they prepare for post graduation. The WCC also holds a Career EXPO and Job Fair where employers and organizations are invited to connect with high school students for summer employment, internships, pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, and part or full time positions.

Students, teachers, counselors, and parents are all raving about the opportunities offered through the WCC. Be sure to check it out!

Have You Heard the Buzz?

The 4th grade Lighthouse team of Jon Schellhorn, Aleigha McEnany, McKinzy Kerker and Carli Blake planned and facilitated the 2nd annual elementary spelling bee. The competition was open to all 3rd-5th graders that wanted to participate.  The word lists were developed by the 4th grade lighthouse team as part of the planning process. Students were eliminated if they spelled a word incorrectly.  With each round, the words got increasingly more difficult.

The winners are:

3rd grade: 1st place - Juliana DeHart, 2nd place - Mia Fender, 3rd place - Jake Christopher

4th grade: 1st place - Rowan Reed, 2nd place - Nora Sanderson, 3rd place - Lauren Lawson

5th grade: 1st place - Ellyn Trulson, 2nd place - Elliott Schmidtke, 3rd place - Izzy Santee

Congratulations to all students!!

Mock Car Accident Raises Awareness

On Friday, April 14th, JCSD, along with Janesville First Responders, Fire Department, Police Department, and Bremer County hosted a mock crash.  All middle school and high school students were expected to attend this demonstration. Once students were called outside, they were notified that this was a mock accident.

The 90 minute event began with a two vehicle crash in the student parking lot, followed by Mr. Meaney calling it in.  Following the call, the various organizations began to showing up as they would for a real event. Student actors were treated for injuries, ranging from minor bumps and bruises to life-threatening. One student was loaded into the ambulance while another was taken away by Air Care.

The simulation is designed to be interactive, so following the accident, students were directed to go inside to the gym for a debriefing with the First Responders, Police Department, and Fire Department.

The intention was to raise awareness for what can happen in a blink of an eye behind the wheel of a car.  Mr. Meaney said, “It took place the day before prom for a reason. This is an important learning event for our kids.”

Yearbook Team Sells Ads

On Wednesday, March 8, the senior yearbook team went on a field trip to Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The purpose of the trip was to obtain not only local sponsorships but to seek out larger businesses as well. The yearbook team hopes to expand their advertising network by reaching out to multiple businesses in the Cedar Valley. Sponsorships are necessary help cover the printing costs and additional funding for books and equipment. They were able to stop at almost 30 businesses and are hoping for some support. This field trip was an amazing experience. Students were even able to perfect their sales pitch.

Young Women in Leadership

In March, young women who serve on the Janesville Lighthouse Team attended the Young Women in Leadership Conference at UNI. The high school girls spent the day with other young leaders from various schools building leadership skills. The conference emphasized how strong leadership skills are crucial to your success in school, business, and in life.

The attendees listened to a student panel share how they use leadership skills professionally, personally, and in the community and classroom. Because of the conference, students have become more confident in leadership rolls. They gained knowledge and tools to help improve confidence and communication skills.

After attending the conference, students feel they have grown and feel empowered by other women who shared their experiences.

Read Across America All Year Long

March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday, so it's always been a day to celebrate him and his books. Read Across America Day is a day to get kids excited about reading. The goal is to not only get students to participate during the month of March, but all year long. The National Education Association created Read Across America to bring the joy of reading to children of all ages, all year long.

The NEA states, "March 2 is National Read Across America Day, a day to celebrate our favorite activity. The day was established by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 to help get kids excited about reading. The day occurs each year on the birthday of beloved children’s book author Dr. Seuss, so a perfect way to celebrate is to don a Seussian hat and read one his famous tales, like One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. On National Read Across America Day, students, teachers, parents, and community members around the nation come together to read books and celebrate the joy of reading — join us!"

Many elementary grades participated in the event. Even the Janesville 5th grade students joined in the festivities as they read to younger students.

32 Years of Club Volleyball

The Janesville Volleyball Club ended its 2023 season on March 25th when our 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th grade teams competed in the AAU State Tournaments.  Our 8th grade team also played in their State Tournament on March 18th.  These teams represented our Janesville Volleyball Club well at the statewide tournament sites and competed well against some very strong teams in all five classes. The 8th grade team won first place in the Bronze Division. The 7th grade team advanced to the Gold Bracket (top 32 of 55 teams competing) by going undefeated in pool play.  They defeated Ames in the first round of bracket play.  They also defeated Rock Valley to advance to the quarter final match. They fell short to a very good Wolfpack team, finishing in a tie for 5th place. The 6th grade team advanced to the Bronze Bracket, but lost in the first match to a team from Dallas Center Grimes.  Our 5th grade team finished 2nd in pool play, advancing them to the Gold Bracket, but they fell short to a Denver team in their first match.  Our 4th grade Black team finished 4th in pool play, advancing them to the Bronze Bracket where they defeated a team from Dike in the first round.  They fell short, losing in 3 sets to a team from Ankeny Centennial.  Our 4th grade Gold team faced some tough competition throughout the day, and ended up not advancing to bracket play, but they played hard and had fun! Our 3rd and 7th Gold grade teams did not qualify for state but they competed well in their tournaments this season where so much progress was made, as they improved throughout the entire AAU season and gained valuable experience.  Congratulations to all players and teams for all their success during the 2023 season.  

    This wraps up the 32nd season of tournament play for the Janesville Volleyball Club.  Coaches volunteer a lot of their time in order for these players to gain experience by playing in the AAU tournament season.  High school coaches Shelly Sorensen, Dana Sorensen, and Katy Sweeney, along with Alexis Olson, Katie Limyao, Mike Zwanziger, Al Sweeney, Brittany Wegner, Kamryn Umthum, and Kennedy Eastman coached our AAU teams this season. And a special thank you to Lauryn and Dawn Podhajsky for stepping in to help coach our 8th grade team at State!

  Much experience was gained and so much improvement and progress was seen during these tournaments where teams played up to six matches a day. These young ladies should be proud of themselves for all that they have accomplished.  It was great to see the growth and improvement made by all players and all teams throughout the club season.

     Thanks to the parents and family members who must sacrifice a lot of their time in order to allow these young ladies to participate. Thanks to all of you who helped by transporting teams and coaches to tournaments, providing good lunches and snacks, line judging, scorekeeping, officiating and a huge thank you to all who helped clean up following our home tournaments.  We cannot do this without you!.  Thanks especially to all of the parents for your support of this program.  Coaches truly appreciate all that you do and for being so supportive of all that we do. A very HUGE THANK YOU to all of the coaches who volunteered your time and efforts to help me in giving these girls the opportunity to participate in the Janesville volleyball club program.  

Thanks to all of you our program continues to be a success.  

More Survey Results Released

THEME 6: There is a desire for increased rigor and enhanced college preparation.  

ACT Preparation

Survey results indicated some students felt unprepared to take the ACT and desired more resources to support their preparation.  ACT data from 2019 to the present is provided in the table below. 

Year Number of Students Tested Average Comp Score

19-20 9 23.9

20-21 12 22.6

21-22 6 23

22-23 2 29

A concern we are addressing currently is the lack of ACT preparation support offered.  We contracted with The Doorway to College Foundation and are offering a 5 hour ACT course at the school on Saturday, April 1st at a cost of $95 per student.  Students will walk away with information and materials to help them prepare.

Low participation in the ACT with a significant drop in recent years is a concern.  In order to increase participation we are now offering every high school student the opportunity to take the ACT free of charge one time in our building.  Our goal is to make it accessible to all students to increase opportunities for postsecondary education.  

The annual school report card is a tool which tells us how students are performing and growing in various subcategories and allows us to compare ourselves to other schools.  The report card includes a measure of postsecondary readiness.  One metric which contributes to the overall score within the category of postsecondary readiness is the number of students who take the ACT and SAT.  As indicated above our participation rate is low with a decline in participation the last few years.  One way we are addressing this is by helping students prepare and removing any financial or logistical barriers to taking the ACT.  

The school report card information can be found here  Janesville Junior/Senior High School performed quite well the past five years, however there is always room for improvement.  Our scores are included below.

Reporting Year School Rating School Raw Score Average State Raw Score

2022 Commendable 56.36 54.65

2021 Acceptable 53.22 54.7

2019+2020* Commendable 59.97 54.94

2018 High Performing 63.12 54.91

*COVID canceled testing. We received the same score two years in a row

Academic Rigor

Some of the feedback in the surveys related to rigor was rather specific to individual circumstances and it will not be possible to respond to all of the feedback with the same specificity.  All academic courses within the school are designed to align with the Iowa Core Standards or national academic standards specific to elective content areas.  Teachers use a curriculum design process and collaborate with others to write their units based on these standards.  When possible, a curriculum written by a publishing company which meets the standards in both content and rigor is adopted by the district. 

As a school we have content specific leadership teams for literacy, math, science and social studies.  These teams are made up of teachers K-12.  Each of these teams has developed a set of shared beliefs around curriculum and instruction.  Each of these teams is responsible for making decisions regarding curriculum and instruction.  When we review curriculum for adoption we use a three step process.  Our first step is to research best practices and review shared beliefs.  We often do this in collaboration with our AEA consultant in the specific content area, resources from the DOE and by reaching out to other known experts in the field.  Next we locate and review curricular resources aligned with core standards and our shared beliefs in both content and instructional practice.  Our last step is to select a curriculum, often by first completing a pilot and then making a final decision on selection.  Once a new curriculum is selected teachers engage in professional learning to learn evidence based practices and strategies for implementation.  This learning includes but is not limited to workshops, conferences, courses, instructional coaching cycles, book studies, collaboration with peers, learning labs and feedback and reflection from formal observations.  

In addition to the courses offered through local colleges and universities as previously mentioned, we are adding Advanced Placement courses in English.  Writing was one area mentioned as a concern by former graduates in preparation for college.  Our goal is to add more AP courses and opportunities for earning college credit on campus.  

We plan to further evaluate and review specific content or instructional concerns mentioned in the survey related to rigor and instructional practice.

Donuts With Grown Ups Is A Success

On Friday, March 24, the first Donuts with Grown-Ups was held in JCSD lunchroom. From 7:30 to 8:30 am, pre-K through 5th grade students were invited to bring a “grown-up” and come have breakfast.

There was no cost but donations were accepted. The Families and Communications Team, led by Megan Cheeseman, raised $807 in free will donations. This money is going to help cover the cost of the event, and the rest of the money will be put in the Lighthouse funds to use again for this event next year or for other Lighthouse needs.

Elementary Principal Mrs. Pugh states, “The event was well attended and it seemed parents and students alike enjoyed the time together.”

The Families and Communications Team would like to thank all of the staff that jumped in and helped out. Mrs. Cheeseman would also like to thank Kwik Star for baking the donuts and the Janesville PTA and Student Lighthouse Team for covering the cost. Also, a special thank you goes out to Katie Johnson and the Snack Shack students. They did a great job helping out at the event, and then cleaning up after the event.