Introducing Mr. Hamilton!

Introducing Mr. Hamilton!

This is the second in a series of five posts introducing the new teachers at Gladbrook-Reinbeck.  Up next is Mr. Hunter Hamilton, the High School Agriculture Education Teacher & FFA Advisor.  Mr. Hamilton was raised in the small community of Lone Tree, Iowa and is a graduate of Iowa State University.  Here is a little more background on Mr. Hamilton:

Name: Mr. Hunter Hamilton

Position: High School Agriculture Educator/FFA Advisor

College(s) & Degree(s): Iowa State University. B.S in Agriculture Education and a Minor in Horticulture

Prior Teaching/Coaching Experience: I recently completed my student teaching at Western Dubuque High School

Initial Impressions of G-R: I am excited to be back in small-town Iowa!  Even though I haven't been here long, I can already feel the community support.

Favorite subject when you were in school: Agriculture and History

Favorite sport or activity in high school: FFA

Hometown: Lone Tree, Iowa

A funny story from your school days: We used to have "Spirit" Day during Homecoming Week.  For some reason, I was the only guy dressed as a ghost on that day...weird.

Hobbies: Traveling, Hiking, Being Outdoors

Why did you become a teacher? I became a teacher to help students realize their potential and support them as they accomplish life goals and aspirations.

Mr. Hamilton spends half of his day at G-R and the other half at Dike-New Hartford, where a new agriculture program is being established.  He’ll also be advising a new, joint FFA chapter that is shared between the two schools.  Please join us in welcoming Mr. Hamilton to the G-R rebel family! 

Introducing Ms. Seidl!

Introducing Ms. Seidl!

Over the next few days, we’ll be introducing you to the new teachers at Gladbrook-Reinbeck.  We’ll start with Ms. Laurie Seidl, the new 7-12 School Counselor.  She’s originally from Urbandale, Iowa and is a graduate of Iowa State University.  Here are a few interesting facts about Ms. Seidl:

Name: Ms. Laurie Seidl

Position: 7-12 School Counselor

College(s) & Degree(s): Iowa State University - Child, Adult, and Family Services degree; UNI - Masters of School Counseling degree

Prior Teaching/Coaching Experience: I taught pre-school Special Ed for two years after my undergraduate studies and recently am completing my School Counseling degree at UNI.

Initial Impressions of G-R: The people at GR seem like a family and have been nothing short of welcoming to me so far!

Last book you read: Forgetting Alice

Hometown: Urbandale, Iowa

Your High School: Dowling Catholic High School

Favorite sport/team: Iowa State Cyclones/Cubs/Chiefs

Hobbies: Sports, Exercise, Photography (mainly of sunsets), Hiking, Rollerblading

Why did you become a teacher? I love watching students develop into someone I always knew they could be and seeing them find that potential is very rewarding!

Please join us in welcoming Ms. Seidl to the G-R educational community! 

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. 

Get “On Board”

Superintendent News & Views

Get “On Board”

School Board Election is November 5

By David Hill, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent

The Iowa Association of School Boards urges Iowans passionate about education to consider running in the upcoming school board election. Public schools need strong leadership and governance to ensure a bright future for all children and communities across the state.

Strong leadership is critical to moving education forward in our state. School board members play significant roles in their communities – they must have leadership, vision and dedication. They are charged with accountability for student learning, determining educational goals, setting policy, overseeing school finances and more.

School board members are elected to serve four-year terms, with elections taking place in odd-numbered years. Those elected receive no pay. Experienced school board members say the rewards of service lie in meeting the needs of children and communities.

Under a new law which took effect on July 1, 2019, the date of regular school elections will be shifted from September to November. Specifically, school elections will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years. The stated goals for this change include increased voter turnout, managing election costs through sharing among participating governmental entities and maintaining the predominantly non-partisan nature of school and city elections.

The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District has four seats up for election on November 5. Nominations for open seats can be filed between August 26 and September 19. Other key dates and deadlines related to this upcoming election are as follows:

Aug. 26:         First day to file nomination papers with the board secretary.

Sept. 19:        Last day to file nomination papers with the board secretary. Deadline is 5 p.m.

Sept. 24:        Last day candidates may withdraw. Last day written objections to nomination papers or eligibility of candidates may be filed. Deadline is 5 p.m.

Nov. 5:           School election day. Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Watch your local newspapers for your polling location, as polling locations may not be the same as in previous school elections. 

Dec. 19:         Organizational meeting of the G-R board. Newly elected or re-elected board members must be administered the oath of office at this meeting or before.   According to the law, the organizational meeting must take place during the first regular school board meeting following the canvas of votes. G-R’s organizational meeting has tentatively been set for Thursday, December 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Vocal Music Room at the Junior/Senior High School. 

Nomination papers for school board seats are available from the board secretary, Deb Oleson at the district office located at 600 Blackhawk Street, Reinbeck, Iowa.  School board candidates must obtain the signatures of at least 1% of the qualified electors of the district or 50 electors, whichever is less, but at least 10 signatures. For information on rewards of board service, campaign finance disclosure law, conflict of interest, key dates and candidate education, visit www.ia-sb.org/getonboard.

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. 

Why Teachers are My Heroes

Superintendent News & Views

Why Teachers are My Heroes

By David Hill, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent

I am honored to be superintendent of Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community Schools, and I feel privileged to work with and support the work of such dedicated and talented educational professionals.  Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you why Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s teachers – and teachers in general – are deserving of our respect and our appreciation.  

Think back to when you were a child. Try to remember Kindergarten or another lower elementary grade.  Do you recall what you wanted to be when you grew up?  When you ask this question of our district’s youngest students, some of the more common responses you will hear include jobs such as firefighter, police officer, scientist, doctor or nurse, teacher, and various military roles. Kids will also often tell you that they want to grow up to do the same job that their mom or dad does.  Why do we so commonly hear these responses?  It’s because these are examples of the people that our students look up to. These people are our kids’ HEROES, and I think it’s awesome that so many students aspire to one day be a hero to others. 

As for me, I first remember wanting to be a teacher in the 4^th grade. Over the years, I probably changed my mind two dozen times as to the grade level or subject matter that I wanted to teach, but I never wavered in my desire to become a teacher.  One of the best days of my life was when I fulfilled my dream by joining the teaching staff at Benton Community Middle/High School. 

Perhaps the reason I wanted to teach is because I was influenced by so many wonderful teachers during my formative years. In addition to the teachers in my school, my grandmother was one of my greatest teachers. Grandma, a retired teacher, had so many stories about her years in the classroom.  Nearly every one of her stories reflected the LOVE that she had of her job and for her students. One of Grandma’s greatest rewards in life came from visiting with her former students and learning about how they have positively influenced their workplaces, their families, and the world around them.    

The relationships teachers build each day with our young people are helping to shape their future. The efforts of Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s teachers today are inspiring and preparing the next generation of innovators, community influencers, and world leaders.

Teachers are role models for our young people. They truly are HEROES. They help students to understand that school is about so much more than learning information. Teachers help our young people learn how to apply the knowledge they’re gaining to reach their goals, fulfill their dreams, and change the world.

 Our teachers are part of a larger team that works together to make a difference for our students.  The bus drivers, coaches, cooks, secretaries, custodians, teacher associates, nurses, speech-language pathologists, counselors, principals and others who work in our schools are part of this team, and all of them deserve acknowledgment for the great services they provide to our students each day!

I am very proud to play a role in supporting the work that G-R’s teachers and staff do each day. Thank you, teachers and staff, for your hard work and dedication – you help our students achieve success in school, in their activities, and in their communities; and, the work you do will pay dividends for MANY YEARS TO COME!!! 

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.