Cherokee Community Schools

March Cherokee Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month

Harper Benson

Congratulations to Harper Benson for being the March Cherokee Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month! She is the daughter of Todd and Melanie Benson of Cherokee. Harper is involved in many activities. She plays basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, softball, and track. She also plays AAU volleyball and basketball. Her favorite sport is basketball because of the constant action. She also participates in FCA, the 8th grade play, and is a member of the Catholic Church. In her free time, she likes to hang out with friends and enjoys water sports at the lake.

When asked about her favorite thing about Cherokee Middle School she said it’s the teachers that encourage students to do their best. CMS also has a great environment that allows you to learn and have social interactions with others.

Harper is a good citizen of CMS because she tries to recognize when others are excluded or need a helping hand. She realizes lunch time can be hard for some peers, so she makes sure everyone has someone to sit by. “Outside of school,” she explained with a smile, “I am constantly trying to get my brothers to get their stuff figured out. For example, they aren't as organized as they should be, I am talking about you Jack, Joe, and Trey.” She also stated she tries to focus on having a good attitude and looking out for others.

The staff at CMS appreciate Harper for her hard work, positive attitude, and the compassion she shows her classmates. After high school, she plans to attend college and hopes to play basketball and focus her studies in the healthcare field. In 10 years, she sees herself graduating from college or working at her first job as an orthodontist or a physical therapist.

ECLC Application for 2020-2021

March 12, 2020 Deadline

Early Childhood Learning Center

Preschool Registration Information

The Early Childhood Learning Center is accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year. If your child will be four-years-old by September 15, 2020 they will be eligible to receive free preschool programming through the Cherokee Community School District.

Link for the online registration form: ECLC 2020-21 Application

A paper copy of the registration form may be printed from this document or picked up from the Roosevelt school office.

ECLC follows accreditation standards of both the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Human Services.
All preschool classrooms are led by teachers with four-year bachelor’s degrees in the areas of early childhood education.
The program uses Creative Curriculum.
Classes are held Monday through Friday as half day programming. The program offers a morning or an afternoon class option.
In general, the ECLC calendar follows the district calendar of days off with a few additional days off for professional development specific to the ECLC program needs.
In-town transportation provided by the Cherokee CSD.
Please apply if you have a 3 year old that you are interested in having attend our preschool. Decisions for accepting 3 year olds into the program will be made in April after consideration of capacity to serve the 3 year old students.

If you are interested in having your child participate in a quality preschool program, you may apply online or pick up an application at the Roosevelt Elementary School, or call 712-225-6760 for more information. Applications are also available through the district website (www.ccsd.k12.ia.us). For district planning purposes, applications are due to the school by March 12, 2020. Applications submitted later will be considered if there is room for students in our classes.

Eligibility Requirements for the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (Iowa Department of Education Requirements)

Child must be 4 years old on or before September 15th
Child must be a resident of Iowa
Child does not have to live within the school district boundaries

Requirements of the participating preschools:

Must have a licensed teacher licensed through the state of Iowa in Early Childhood Education
Must have no more than 10 students per adult with a limitation that each classroom will not exceed 20 students.
Must provide a minimum of 10 hours of curriculum based programming per week.
Must provide a minimum of 35 sq feet of usable space per child in each of the primary indoor activity areas.
Each preschool site is required to adhere to the guidelines and report to the state adherence to the guidelines in the form of a Site Self-assessment. Within this assessment the following areas are addressed:

Building positive relationships among teachers, families and children through socialization, consistent harmonious classrooms, and development of self-regulation in each student.

Curriculum content areas for cognitive development in science, language development, early literacy development, mathematics, technology, expression and appreciation for the arts, health and safety, and social studies.

The teacher’s ability to organize the time and space available, control the classroom through addressing challenging or disruptive behaviors, sight supervision, ability to recognize each student’s interests and needs, as well as their ability to deepen the students understanding of curriculum topics and then build on their skills and knowledge.

Maintaining an assessment plan to chart the growth on all areas of children’s development and learning including cognitive skills, language, social-emotional development, approaches to learning health, and physical development (including self-help skills)

Adherence to approved nutrition and health requirements of all children and staff to protect them from preventable illness and injury.

Open communication between teacher or site and the student’s family through a variety of formal and informal strategies such as conversations, written communications, open houses and parent-teacher conferences.

Being the link between families and community agencies by maintaining a current list of child and family support services available to families such as health, mental health, oral health, nutrition, child welfare, parenting programs, early intervention/special education screening and assessment services, and basic needs such as housing and child care subsidies.

Adherence to specific guidelines for space and a variety of age appropriate and developmentally appropriate equipment, furniture and hands on materials for both indoor and outdoor play.

Leadership and managerial requirements of the program as well as fiscal accountability policies, health, nutrition, and safety policies, and personnel hiring policies for support staff there to assist the teachers.
Must provide accountability to the state through annual reports designed to monitor all aspects of the program including but not limited to cognitive growth of each student, spending of grant funds, and eligibility of teachers and support staff.

Rotary Student of the Month for March 2020 Ryan Hurd!

Rotary Student of the Month for March 2020 is Ryan Hurd! Ryan is the son of Mark and Kerry Hurd and was nominated for this recognition by staff members. Ryan participates in Spanish Club, basketball, football, track, JETS Science Team, and was a member of the Homecoming Court. A quote from one of Ryan's teachers, "Ryan Hurd is a great athlete and an awesome teammate. Ryan is a leader that cares about representing his school and making good choices. Ryan is a terrific young man!." Congratulations to Ryan!

CCSD Alumni Spotlight Ken Brabrand

CCSD Alumni Spotlight 3/2/20

This month’s CCSD alumni spotlight is Ken Braband. He graduated from Cherokee Washington High School in 1972.

Ken pursued his post secondary education and received a BA in Journalism from Iowa State University in 1976.

Ken’s current Location is in Green Bay, WI and is a retired writer. He now volunteers as a kayak instructor for disabled veterans. If you would like to check out Ken’s website, it is www.liquidadventuring.co

(Other information: Family, hobbies, fun facts): Ken has 2 kids, 2 grandkids. Ken’s best memory from attending Cherokee Washington High School is playing in band with Mr. Stephenson.

Ken’s words of advice for students, “Don't worry about being popular, just be yourself.”