March 29, 2024

Aurora Heights students discuss tech skills, citizenship

Two upcoming reconfiguration forums set

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The Newton Community School District doesn’t have a designated technology campus, but Aurora Heights Elementary School students certainly have taken advantage of the hardware and software in their building.

If their presentation at Monday night’s NCSD board meeting was any indication, Aurora Heights students aren’t thinking about technology only, but about concepts like good citizenship as well.

Five students from the school, which hosted the meeting, read statements about their pertinent activities in school. Aurora Heights’ student body president, Jaden Hunter, was one of the students to speak during the host school’s presentation, entitled “Educating for a #brightfuture@AH.”

“We usually go into the fourth-grade classrooms and develop a relationship of trust and respect,” Hunter, a sixth-grader, told the board. “This helps us develop our skills of leadership, role-modeling and citizenship.”

Student council member James Hulling told the board he is looking forward to attending Berg Middle School next year. Sixth-grade teacher Nicky Lampe told the board two other presenters, Jenna Miller and Stephanie Bradley, put in 24 extra hours of work during the school’s “Math Nights.”

Jacob Aldrich, president of Aurora’s technology club, also presented. Library Media Center Teacher June Clute joked that Aldrich had plenty of ideas for ways the school could spend the $4,000 in grant money recently awarded to Aurora Heights.

Teacher Wendy Turner described “Mystery Skype.” The online activity pairs classes from different states, who must ask yes-or-no questions until guessing the location city of the other school.

Aurora Heights Principal Carol Farver said maintaining a Facebook presence is one way her school can show the community — and the rest of the world — what happens on campus.

“One of our sayings is ‘Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who know how to use technology will,’” said Farver. In other action Monday, the board:

• Awarded a bid to Unite Private Networks to construct and maintain the district’s new fiber-optic network. Unite was the sole bidder on the request for proposal. Supervisor of Technology Chris Bieghler said the company will be able to improve the district’s network, built in the late 1990s and early 2000s, from one-gigabyte capacity cabling to 10-gigabyte, with room for expansion up to 90 gigabytes.

• Set a date for a budget workshop, which will be Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Emerson Hough building’s conference room.

• Discussed recent published clarifications from the Iowa Department of Education about transitional kindergarten. Superintendent Bob Callaghan presented a chart and several verbal clarifications that show which programs and designations for each student will still allow districts to count that student as part of its annual state funding request.

• Took a short break to eat birthday cake while the Aurora Heights students sing “Happy Birthday” to Callaghan and administrative assistant Christine Dawson, who happen to share a Feb. 23 birthday.

• Discussed format details for two upcoming public forums about possible reconfiguration, to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and on March 3 at Newton DMACC campus’s second floor conference area. A PowerPoint data presentation will be followed by question formulation tables, and district administrators will then read questions aloud and provide answers.

• Formed a board subcommittee for facilities and long-term planning, which will involve board members Travis Padget, Donna Cook and Nat Clark.

• Heard an audit report from Nancy Janssen of Nolte, Cornman & Johnson. Among the findings Janssen mentioned in her summary for the board were not publishing meeting minutes within two weeks, coding disability insurance in the wrong teacher salary supplemental funding category, and $261,789 in total liabilities as of June 30 of last year.

“That sounds like a lot, but a lot of districts would like to be in your position,” Janssen said. “Waukee is dealing with liabilities of around $3 million.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com