Teacher blogs to keep an eye on

Be sure to check out what is going on in the classrooms of Teresa Bradshaw and Rebecca Huelskamp by visiting their blogs.  Teresa Bradshaw's blog can be found at bradshawssocialstudiescentral.blogspot.com and Rebecca Huelskamp's blog can be found at mrshuelskamplanguagearts.blogspot.com.

You will see posts of their blogs on the Kingman High School website, the Kingman Elementary website, and the USD 331 Facebook page from time to time.

Massachusetts Students Compare Egyptian and French Revolution

On Friday February 18th, I was driving from our school in Norwich and I was listening to a  Hear and Now segment on KMUW Wichita Public Radio.  The segment was titled "As Protests Spread In Middle East, History Comes Alive For US Students."  The segment was a great example of how to use current events and adapting instruction to engage students in the classroom.

The ninth grade class in Plymouth, Mass. researched the history of Egypt and events that led up to the recent revolution and compared it to the process that led up to the French Revolution.  The lesson gave history a modern context that the class was able to relate to.  I would highly recommend visiting the site by clicking the segment title above and listening to the 7 minute podcast.

21st Century Marketing in USD 331 Communities

The Internet and social media continue to redefine how organizations, businesses, and the community promote themselves.  How can you work to improve the visibility of your organization on the Internet?  Can you promote your business with social media?  Is it possible to attract businesses and families to our community using these tools?

USD 331 staff and students are discovering the answers to these questions by attending the Marketing Using 21st Century Tools course at ESSDACK.  During this five session course we are learning how to market ourselves and our community by using Social Media, Blogs, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Our goal is to apply this knowledge and use the resources within our schools to promote and improve our schools and community.

We have taken some of the first steps in marketing our school by creating a Facebook and Twitter presence as well as redesigning our school websites to provide updated content.  Please take a look at these resources.  Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and "Follow" us if you are a Twitter user.

IXL Math - Practice Math Skills at Home

If you are looking for a good resource to help your student fine tune their math skills, you might consider IXL Math.  Kingman Elementary introduced this resource this past school year with the Technology Rich Classroom grant in 4th and 5th grade.  The teachers participating in this grant highly recommended IXL.  The students like IXL because it is quick to load and they get rewarded for their accomplishments.  Teachers like it because it is aligned with state standards and they can assign specific skills.

As a parent, I purchased a license to IXL Math for my 3rd grader to help with his math skills.  I was surprised by the wide variety of practice skills available.  Over 200 for third grade alone.  IXL Math has practice skills for Pre-K through 8th grade, covering everything from basic math to consumer math to geometry and linear functions.  Repetition is a great way to learn math skills and IXL provides a good environment for your child to practice a skill repeatedly if needed.  You can visit the site and preview the question categories.

The site advertises that they will provide content for grades 9-12 soon.  The cost for one license per year is $79.  With the wide variety of skills available for us to practice, it is a tool that I plan on using at home with my kids for the foreseeable future.

Paying Fees Through the Campus Portal

USD 331 has implemented a new system for paying fees online.  The online payment system can be accessed through the Campus Portal which can be accessed through a link on any district website.  If you do not have an account to log into the Campus Portal, contact your school office and an account will be created for you.

1. Log into the Campus Portal.
2. Click on the Payments link under the Family menu.
3. You can add a payment method by clicking the Register your credit cards and banking information link.
4. In the payment window you will see your children listed with their food service balance.  In the Payment column you can add a specific amount for each child or click the Select estimated amount button.
5. Once you are satisfied with the payments, click the Continue button.
6. Select the payment method you wish to use and click Continue.
7. If the payments are correct, click the Make Payment button.

You will receive a Payment Receipt email detailing the transaction.  You can click on the Food Service link on the left menu to see an updated balance for each account.

Access Report Cards Through the Campus Portal

Grade cards will be mailed out soon but you can view your child's report card now through the Campus Portal.  The Campus Portal can be accessed through a link on any district webpage.  If you do not have an account to log into the Campus Portal, contact your school office and an account will be created for you.

Once you log into the Campus Portal, you will see your child's name on the left side of the page.  Under your child's name, click on the Reports link.  Find the report card that corresponds with your child's grade and click on it.  The report card will open in a new window.

Receive Daily School Event Updates in Your Email Inbox

Keeping up with events at USD 331 Schools is as easy as creating an account at your school website.

1. Go to your school website by clicking the links below, find the Create Web Account link, and create your account.
2. Once your account has been created, scroll down below the calendar and click the My Personal Settings link.
3. In the My Personal Settings page, select the Notifcations tab and click the Setup Daily Digests link.
4. In the Setup Event Digest window, you can have a daily digest (email) sent the day of or the day before.

Once you configure the daily digest settings, you will begin receiving emails detailing the days events at your school.

School websites links:

Kingman Elementary School - Create KES Account

Kingman High School - Create KHS Account

Norwich School - Create Norwich Account