Time Management

Superintendent News & Views

Time Management

By David Hill, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent

We all have access to the same 24 hours each day, yet it seems some people can get so much more done than others. Are you often late to school, work, appointments, or class?  Are you usually the last one to arrive at practices and meetings?  Do you typically finish assignments at the last minute?  Do you often feel like you have too much to do, and do you wish you had more time for the things you want to do?  If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, now is the time to work on improving your time management skills. 

The beginning of a new school year is an ideal time to think about effective time management.  The new school year started on August 23, and this year will provide our students with numerous opportunities to practice their time management skills.  Learning to master time management will give you more time for everything you NEED to do, which will hopefully leave you more time for the things you WANT to do. 

The following ideas are provided by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  You’re likely to see a difference even if you implement just a few of the tips below.  The result will be reduced stress levels and a greater feeling of control…which may lead to your best school year yet!  Consider implementing as many of these ideas as possible:

MAKE TO-DO LISTS: Each day, make a list of all the things you need to do.  You may consider prioritizing the list or categorizing each item as to whether it needs to be done today, in the next few days, or someday.  Cross things off as they get done, and revisit the list often. 

PLAN: Use a planner to keep track of assignments, tests, appointments, and due dates.  You can use digital planner on your smart phone, a Google calendar on your computer or tablet, or an old-fashioned paper planner…just select one and use it faithfully. 

PREPARE: Get everything ready for the next day before you go to bed.  Each Sunday night, consider your schedule for the week.  If it doesn’t look like you can realistically get it all done, think about what items are the lowest priority and make arrangements for those things to wait until a future time. 

COMBINE TASKS: For example, study while you’re doing laundry or review your notes while you’re waiting for a ride. 

LOOK FOR WASTED TIME:  Social media, TV, and video games can all be huge time wasters.  Schedule smaller chunks of time for these activities and stick to your schedule.  Think about how you can use the time you gain in a more effective way.

CREATE ROUTINES: A good morning and nighttime routine can save you time and will help your day run more smoothly. 

William Penn once said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”  I hope the information and ideas provided in this column will help you to use as least some of your time in a more effective way.  It is my hope that these tips will help the new school year be your best year yet! 

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. You are welcome to visit my blog at http://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill. 

Superintendent Update on Minor Fire at G-R Jr./Sr. High School on August 8, 2019:

Greetings! You may have seen a post on Facebook earlier today about a minor fire at the Jr./Sr. High School this afternoon. This post will provide a quick update on today's situation.

While working on the roof replacement project on the roof of the 3rd floor of the Jr./Sr. High School, workers from Service Roofing inadvertently ignited a wooden structural member surrounding the window of the south classroom on the 4th floor. Flames traveled upward alongside the window and spread about 2 feet into the classroom's true ceiling (above the false ceiling) before the fire was extinguished.

Initially, roof workers used fire extinguishers to control all visible flames until the Reinbeck Fire Department arrived. Firefighters applied water to stop the smoldering and ensure the flames did not return. They also removed a section of the classroom wall and a section 4th-floor roof above the classroom to determine the extent of the damage and ensure the fire had not spread farther into the building than was immediately evident. Of course, there was some minor water damage in the affected classroom and directly below on the 3rd floor as well.

The 4th-floor classroom that was affected was unoccupied at the time, but back-to-school registration was taking place on the first floor in the cafeteria and an internship meeting involving a few students was taking place in the library on the 3rd floor. The building was evacuated when the fire alarm sounded. Registration was moved to the elementary building. While the building has been cleared for re-entry, registration will continue at the elementary school location until 6:00 p.m.

A professional cleaning and restoration company will be onsite tomorrow to mitigate smoke and water damage and thoroughly clean the 4th-floor classroom. Service Roofing will repair the section of roof that was removed as a precaution yet today so the building will be water-tight overnight. They will also conduct repairs to the ceiling section and the area around the window as they continue to finish the roofing project. We expect that everything will be back to normal within a few days.

A few pictures have been provided with this post to give you an idea of the damage. The upper-lefthand picture shows the 4th-floor window where the fire originated. (Your superintendent isn't crazy about heights but yes, I did climb up there with the firefighters and roof workers to see things first-hand.)

I would like to thank the awesome volunteer members of the Reinbeck Fire Department for their quick response. This community is blessed! Thanks also to the Grundy Center Fire Department for sending some "just in case" backup firefighters and equipment. I'm pleased to say that our fire protection system did its job (including notifying building occupants AND automatically calling the fire department) and the damages are minimal. Most importantly, EVERYONE IS FINE and school operations will only be minimally affected.

I hope this communication helps answer any questions you might have about the incident. It's my hope that this update will be your "official" source of information, as we all know that rumors can and do spread quickly. Contact the superintendent's office with any specific questions you may have. We're looking forward to having the teachers back at school in the very near future as well as the students' first day back on August 23rd!

Mr. Hill, Superintendent

Get Outdoors!

Superintendent News & Views

Get Outdoors! 

By David Hill, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent

I was raised on a family farm in Northern Tama County within close proximity of a beautiful county park. Growing up, my family also had access to a large timber area near our farm, along with a good number of wooded acres along Wolf Creek.  I spent countless hours hiking in the woods, mountain biking, enjoying the creek, identifying trees and collecting insects with my grandma, fishing with my grandpa, mushroom hunting with my mom, and more. It was a great way to bond with my family, enjoy nature, and get some physical activity. 

  We’re so fortunate here in the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District to have access to some wonderful parks and other opportunities for outdoor recreation.  I want to issue a challenge to our G-R students and their families to GET OUTDOORS AND ENJOY NATURE before the summer gets away from us.  There are numerous opportunities to enjoy the outdoors right here in our area.

Union Grove State Park near Gladbrook is located within the boundaries of our district.  It offers great sites for camping and picnicking, as well as trails for hiking and a great lake for activities such as swimming, boating, and fishing.  If walking or bicycling are your thing, try the Wolf Creek Nature Trail starting at Gladbrook, which combines with the Comet Trail in Grundy County to connect the cities of Gladbrook, Beaman, and Conrad along with the Wolf Creek Recreation Area in rural Grundy County.  Another great bike trail can be accessed just outside of Reinbeck.  Extending through Morrison and the Wolfe Family Preserve on a former railroad bed, the Pioneer Trail runs concurrently with the highway for a short section before rejoining the railroad bed in Grundy Center and continuing to Holland. 

Kayaking has become a favorite activity of my family in recent years.  It requires a relatively small investment in equipment and provides hours of enjoyment.  This area provides numerous great places to enjoy a paddling excursion, including numerous parts of Wolf Creek along with a designated “water trail” along Black Hawk Creek.  While paddling Black Hawk Creek, be sure to enjoy the beauty of the Grundy County Greenbelt area on the northern edge of Reinbeck.  Our city councils also maintain very nice park facilities within our communities, offering multiple opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy nature along with some great physical activity. 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently rolled out the “99 Counties, 99 Parks” initiative to highlight the wide array of recreational activities our state offers within its county parks and to expand awareness of the county park system.  The state of Iowa has more than 1,800 county parks encompassing nearly 200,000 acres. 

Governor Kim Reynolds introduced the “99 Counties, 99 Parks” by inviting Iowans and others to visit our parks, stating, “We have an abundance of natural beauty in this state, and we’re thrilled to issue an invitation for people to experience it firsthand. I know my family will be outside exploring all the county parks have to offer this summer, so I hope my fellow Iowans and visitors to our state will join us.”

Visit traveliowa.com/99parks to learn more about the campaign.  Families are encouraged to download the “99 Counties, 99 Parks” Family Fun Guide, which features a variety of activities including recipes, a scavenger hunt and art projects as well as information on geocaching and creating nature sculptures. Participants can track their visits to the featured parks on the “99 Counties, 99 Parks” checklist. Many of the parks also include “selfie stands” where visitors can take photos and share their experiences on social media using #ThisIsIowa or #99parks. 

To learn more about our local county parks, visit www.mycountyparks.com/County/Grundy.aspx and www.mycountyparks.com/County/Tama.aspx. I want to commend the County Conservation Boards in Tama and Grundy Counties, as well as the dedicated county conservation employees, for the good work they do in providing high-quality outdoor experiences for area residents and visitors. 

Before the summer ends, I hope each of our students and their families will take advantage of these resources and enjoy some quality family time in the process.  Whether it's boating, swimming, hunting, fishing, kayaking, geocaching, bicycling, orienteering, or just taking a nature walk – getting outdoors and enjoying our natural resources is a great way to exercise your body and rejuvenate your spirit as you prepare for the new school year that approaches! 

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. You are welcome to visit my blog at http://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill.