Iowa City Ice Skating Fun!

Calling All School-Age Kids: Ice Skate Party! The Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD) is hosting a free ice-skating party in Downtown Iowa City on Friday, January 11 through Sunday, January 13, 2013. The ice skating rink, recently purchased and presented by Big Ten Rentals, will be located on the idyllic Iowa Avenue between the intersections of Dubuque and Linn Streets. The entire community is invited to bring the whole family Downtown to enjoy the ice rink for the weekend. Bring your own skates, or rent some of ours for free. Grab some hot chocolate and enjoy the fun. Ice Rink Schedule: *Friday (1/11) from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – The ice rink will be open and lit for skaters during the evening hours and host food vendors and music. This evening is especially catered to middle school and high school skaters. *Saturday (1/12) from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – the ICDD is partnering with the One Book, Two Book festival during daylight hours, which includes a children’s book fair, face painting, and live performances at various locations across the Downtown, to also bring you some of your favorite children's book characters to the ice rink. Local author Andrew Sherburne, who wrote "Ben and Lucy Play Pond Hockey," will also be present to add to the fun. *Saturday (1/12) from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – The ice rink will be open and lit for skaters during the evening hours and host food vendors and music. This evening is especially catered to middle school and high school skaters. Free parking in the Clock Tower parking garage for skaters. *Sunday (1/13) from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Last day for the Downtown Ice Skating Rink – come one come all. Find the inner kid in you! The community ice rink event has been presented to you by the generous sponsorship of Big Ten Rentals, the ICDD, Quality Care, Hawkeye Construction & Snow Removal, Iowa City Summer of the Arts and the UNESCO City of Literature For more information, please contact the Iowa City Downtown District at (319) 354-0863 or info@downtowniowacity.com.

Founder's Day 2012

Did you know that on or near December 19, we celebrate Irving B. Weber's birthday? If Irving were alive today, he would be 112 years old! Purpose of our Founder's Day Celebration • Celebrate Irving B. Weber’s Birthday and honor his memory • Educate students about Weber’s life and contributions • Recognize his service and emulate Irving Weber through service projects Did you know that Irving B. Weber: • was born on December 19, 1900 in Iowa City • worked at Sidwell Dairy Company delivering ice cream right after high school, throughout college, and joined the firm after college graduation • founded Quality Chek’d Production Association which is an international organization • loved swimming and was the first all American swimmer from the University of Iowa • was renowned for ringing the gold plated bell to signal the start of each home swimming meet. He picked up this tradition while attending the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. • contributed more than 850 articles on the city for the Press Citizen. • wrote several books on Iowa City. • said, “I’m the first ordinary citizen to be so named and I’m greatly impressed to be able to follow in the footsteps of three presidents, two governors, and several renowned educators” for whom other IC school were names. • often said, “I’m just an old hometown boy who happens to have a good memory.” • was known and recognized for participating in various service organizations in the area Day of the celebration: Plan to wear your Weber t-shirts, in Irving’s honor! 9:00-10:00 a.m. Buddy Service projects Ice Cream with lunch, in Irving’s honor!

Processing the Tragedy in CT pt. 2

Families, I came across a wonderful blog that shares some important tips for parents. Check it out. http://www.micheleborba.com/blog/

Processing the Tragedy in CT

Dear Weber families, In light of the recent elementary school tragedy, I would like to assure you that we have safety at the top of our minds as we all head to school tomorrow. We anticipate that much discussion has happened in the homes of our Weber families this weekend, but know that tomorrow may also bring further questions and concerns among our students. In the interest of proactive communication, I am calling to share our plans. On Monday before school, Diana Frisbie, our school counselor, and I will meet with our staff members to review and discuss developmentally appropriate conversation structures for our children. During the school day, we will not initiate class discussions, but if students bring up concerns about this event, we will be prepared to address them in a sensitive and appropriate manner. Diana Frisbie and I will also be available to meet with students, as necessary. If we meet with your child individually, we will contact you. Please be advised that the details of the events in Newtown will not be discussed with any students at any time. Details of what students are aware of are solely at the discretion of each individual family. We will also complete a full review of our school safety protocols. As a staff, we are fully invested in being comprehensive and thorough in our daily approach, and are always looking for new ways to enhance our safety and security. If you know that your child has concerns or worries and would benefit from individual support, please feel free to call or email us so that we can be of assistance. Thank you for your ongoing support to make Weber a safe school for learning. Take care! Chris

Math Journal Information

Your child will most likely bring home a Math Journal. This journal serves as a source for learning concepts from the daily lessons, as well as for practicing previously taught skills. There are various ways that we use the journals in class. Often students work together with their peers while a teacher walks around the classroom to help. Sometimes we complete problems as a class and other times students work independently so that we can check their progress. Therefore some pages are not complete or corrected. You may use these journals for reviewing skills over the summer. Occasionally the directions or methods on a given page are confusing or the task is too difficult to complete independently, skip it and choose one your student understands. The pages with Math Boxes are the best ones for students if they are looking for some extra practice. You could even make up new problems on a separate sheet of paper based on the ones in the journal. Work in the journal is not required, but it could serve as a good resource for practice. Use as you wish and hopefully skills will stay sharp over the summer.

New Modified Programs at Weber

We are happy to welcome back two Modified Special Education Programs to Weber for the 2012-2013 school year! A modified special education program is a classroom where students with Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) spend approximately 50% or more of their time in this program. The modified program at Weber’s emphasis is for students with autism. The students’ curriculum/goals are adapted to fit their needs, which may be much different than the general education curriculum. We welcome teachers, Sarah McCurdy and Sarah Herring, and 12 new students to Weber!

Summer Reading Ideas!

Check out the following link for summer reading suggestions for all ages! http://www.iccsd.k12.ia.us/library/Bibs/SummerReads.htm Happy reading!