Tuesday, May 14, 2013
A Waukee High School advertising class wanted to promote homes for sale within the school district. That idea has mushroomed into a weekend tour of homes with the Waukee office of Iowa Realty.
While the housing market is starting to come out of the doldrums, a Waukee High School advertising class is working to boost local sales. Students in Chris Guess' advertising class have coordinated a weekend tour of homes for 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20, working with Donna Stall of the Waukee Iowa Realty office. Guess had done a similar project with a real estate office when he taught in Glenwood and said it was well received. He wanted to do houses for re-sale, and the prices range from an affordable $135,000 to about $549,000. "We always try to give our kids a real-life experience for their final project," he said. Stall, who took Guess' students on a tour of the homes they are responsible for marketing through fliers and an appearance on…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The tax levy rate will decrease by 90 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, according to the district, the biggest drop of metro school districts.
From the Waukee Schools newsletter: For the second year in a row, Waukee Community School District will lower its school tax levy rate. The school board approved the adoption of the certified budget for fiscal year ending June 30, 2014 at its April 8 meeting. The new levy rate for the 2013-14 school year was set at $16.71. This is a 90-cent reduction compared to the prior year. Last year, WCSD dropped the rate by 19 cents, creating a tax rate of $17.61 for the 2012-13 school year, the district said. LINK UP WITH PATCH: Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Have Waukee news delivered to your inbox every morning by signing up for our newsletter. School taxes are just one of the three major components that help determine property tax…
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Two Waukee teachers are in the running for a prize from Jordan Creek Town Center. Voting ends Sunday in the Celebrate Teachers Contest.
From the Waukee Schools Website: Two Waukee school district teachers have been nominated for a prize in a contest sponsored by Jordan Creek Town Center. Temple Netten at Waukee Elementary School and Chad Vollmecke at Waukee High School have been nominated for the Celebrate Teachers Contest. Vote now through April 28; one vote per person, per day. To vote for Temple or Chad click here. LINK UP WITH PATCH: Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Have Waukee news delivered to your inbox every morning by signing up for our newsletter. To nominate a teacher, a student, personal friend, or co-worker was required to type in 100 words or less and describe the teacher’s extra effort and caring in the classroom and ways they affect their …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The school district has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report. Chief Financial Officer Lora Appenzeller-Miller was also recognized.
From the Waukee Schools Website: The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Waukee Community School District by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. An Award of Financial Reporting Achievement has been awarded to Lora Appenzeller-Miller, Chief Financial Officer, as the staff member primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning CAFR. The CAFR has been judged by an …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
As the district juggles growing class sizes and construction, there was a possibility Eason fifth-graders would move to a different building in the fall. That won't happen next year, but moves haven't been ruled out for the 2014-15 year.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
As the district juggles growing class sizes and construction, there was a possibility Eason fifth-graders would move to a different building in the fall. That won't happen next year, but moves haven't been ruled out for the 2014-15 year.
From the Waukee Schools website: The boundary committee recommendation presented to the Waukee Board of Education last November indicated a concern for potential crowding at Eason Elementary for the 2013-14 school year. In establishing elementary attendance center boundaries for the upcoming school year, the Board directed Administration to determine by April 15 whether Eason Elementary would be able to accommodate all students K-5 for next year, or whether it would be necessary to move fifth grade to a different attendance center. We believe that we will be able to meet the space needs for the 2013-14 school year at Eason and will NOT be moving fifth grade. We will, however, need to continue to monitor potential crowding in future years …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Students took part in last week's CIML Art Show in Fort Dodge.
From the Waukee Schools website: Congratulations to the students who were invited to enter art in the CIML Art Show on April 10 in Fort Dodge. Waukee High School students brought home 13 best-in-show awards. It is an honor just to have an entry in this contest. Each school is only allowed to take 25 pieces to the competition and only one or two awards are given for each category. All work entered is original and includes submissions from Waukee, West Des Moines, Ames, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown and Mason City. A variety of art classes are offered to WHS students. Students in grades 9-12 have the opportunity to take: Art I, Art II, Drawing, Painting, Jewelry, Sculpture, Ceramics, Textiles, Graphic Design, Photography and Advanced Workshop. …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The group helps children with behavioral disorders and autism in the Waukee school district and at the Waukee Family YMCA.
The American Red Cross will hold its 11th annual Heroes of the Heartland breakfast on Friday, April 12, the Des Moines Register reports, and the honorees include a woman who has worked to help children with special needs in the Waukee school district. Honorees whose stories will be shared at the program include Ann Thomas. She and four friends started Let’s Soar Together, an organization that has donated dozens of iPads and iPods for children with behavioral disorders and autism in the Waukee school district, built adaptive swings for Maple Grove Elementary School and donated $1,200 to the Waukee YMCA to install a chair in the swimming pool, the newspaper said. Eleven years ago, the American Red Cross set out to develop an annual event to …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Prairieview students who are studying the classifications of life on the planet put the lesson in their own terms by sorting shoes.
By Ian Coon, Prairieview School student Why learn the classifications of life from a textbook when they are all around us waiting to be explored? That was the assignment students in Staci Nichols’ biology class at Prairieview School have started working on: the assortment of organisms on Earth. Because hands-on learning has proven to be more effective on student learning and engagement, Nichols decided to make this lesson more interactive. The students did an activity on how they could sort all their shoes using classification methods from specific differences to overall similarities. Students started with the ones that could be singled out and ended up with a bigger population at the end. For example, the Uggs were first because they were…
Monday, April 8, 2013
Most of the windows are in at Woodland Hills and painting is nearly done, while demolition is complete at the Vince Meyer Learning Center. Also, Waukee city officials will weigh in on the site plan for Timberline in the next two weeks.
From the Waukee Schools website: Woodland Hills Elementary School – 1120 S 95th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50266-9020 April Update: Vince Meyer Learning Center (1917 Facility) Approval of Design Development is the second of three steps in the preliminary construction process. On September 10 the Board approved the Schematic Design phase of this project. The final step will be the approval of the construction documents, hearing and approval of lowest responsible bidder all at the same board meeting. April Update Timberline Schematic Design The design process for school buildings consists of three (3) stages of development. (1) Schematic Design (2) Design Development and (3) Construction Documents. We have been working with our …
