Central Lee Community School District

March is Youth Art Month! 🎨This is a week for celebrating student artists and supporting art programs in our schools. Art enriches our lives—and the process of learning how to paint, draw, sculpt and otherwise engage in an artistic practice helps students develop skills that are easily transferable to other areas of life. The benefits go far beyond the classroom!

Congratulations to the 20 newly inducted Central Lee High School NHS members. The new members were introduced at an induction ceremony held on February 27th.

A big thank you to Lee County Conservation for visiting with Hawk Place students at the school once a month this past school year. Friday the students took a ride to the Conservation Center and had a super time, hiking, getting muddy, looking through the telescope and enjoying the many exhibits inside. The students throughly enjoyed the visit and want to thank Clay, Leah and Lee County Conservation for their partnership with Hawk's Place.

Thursday Hawk's Place theme for career day was " Be Your Own Boss". Special guests included Central Lee alumni, Darin Metsker of MAFAB Fisheries and Julie Hohl, from Harvestville Farm, which started with a school pumpkin project and evolved into all kinds of pumpkins, family fun and so much more , Another Central Lee Alumni, Jamie Kramer representing the family business, Jim's Greenhouse also introduced the kids to her personal online business, Small Town Style Society.. Matt and Shawn Hamilton from Riverside Nutrition and Learning Tree Day Care treated the kids to snow cones using a few flavors from Riverside drinks. Thank you to all these guests for giving of their time for children to learn about starting your own business from the ground up.

REMINDER: Parent/teacher conferences are Tuesday, March 7, and Thursday, March 9, from 4:00 to 8:00pm. Our teachers look forward to discussing students’ goals and progress with parents!

SHOE DRIVE FUNDRAISER Central Lee High School students with plans to travel to Europe in 2024 are hosting a Shoe Drive Fundraiser to earn money towards their trip! The shoe drive runs from now until Saturday, May 18. We are accepting donations of gently worn, used, and new shoes of any style, including boots, tennis shoes, sandals, dress shoes, etc. Shoes may be dropped off at the High School or K-8 building. This is a great opportunity to start your Spring cleaning! All donated shoes will be redistributed through a network called Funds2Orgs. Funds2Orgs works with small business partners in third world countries to create, maintain, and grow small businesses in areas where economic opportunity and jobs are limited. Proceeds from the sales of the shoes collected are used to feed, clothe, and house families in need. A collection box will be available near the front office of each building during conferences this week, or shoes can be sent to school with students. If that doesn’t work for you, we would love to pick up your shoes for you! If you have any questions or would like to schedule a pick-up, please call 319-835-9510 and ask to speak to Shanna Martin, School Nurse. We are so excited about our shoe drive! We know that most people have extra shoes in their closets they would like to donate. By doing so, we can help raise money for our students AND have the chance to help families in developing nations who would greatly benefit from economic opportunities. Thank you so much for helping out our students, as well as families in need around the world!

It’s National School Social Work Week, and this year’s theme is “We Rise.” School social workers rise every day in support of students by encouraging hope and helping connect young people with mental and emotional health resources. We’re thankful for all our school social workers do! 👏

Kindergarten students are working on their personalized learning path in i-Ready Instruction. This iPad-based application supports the student's academic acheivement. These lessons are one component of their learning experiences in reading and math and provide additional practice beyond the classroom instruction. Each student has a goal to pass at least 1 lesson in both reading and math each week. We are proud of our students' focus to make their goals each week!

Payton Stevens thought he might be interested in becoming a lineman. During his junior year last year he participated in a job shadow with a lineman crew through the Career and College Readiness program. After that experience, Payton was excited to explore further. Access Energy Cooperative in Mt Pleasant created an opportunity to explore his desired career path in more depth. Access is now employing Payton through Work Based Learning. He start the year in the warehouse, learning the terminology, equipment, and supplies lineman use. Today, he goes out with the crews gaining valuable experiences that will help shape his future. This experience has cemented his goal and desire to become a lineman. #CTEworksforCL

Today is Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day! We’d like to take a moment to recognize and express our gratitude for the hardworking individuals who keep our school running smoothly. From fixing leaky faucets to keeping our grounds clean and safe, our maintenance workers play an essential role in ensuring our learning environment is the best it can be. We appreciate their dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence!

Happy Read Across America Day! Today gives us an opportunity to crack open a good book and lose ourselves in a story. Let us know what you’re reading! 📚

Happy Women’s History Month! We’re proud to recognize the contributions of women, which for many years were downplayed or neglected. This month, we honor the achievements of women who have fought for equality and made a positive impact on the world. 🙌

Central Lee students enroll in a multitude of concurrent enrollment courses to gain college credit while in high school. These students are part of the Survey of the Animal Industry taught by Mr. Tom Boeck—Central Lee Ag-Ed Instructor/FFA Advisor. The group took a farm tour on the Jarad Weber farm in rural Argyle. Topics included: History of the beef industry, Nutrition differences…..selecting feeds for different ages, Pasture Management, Replacement heifers, Bulls vs. Artificial Insemination, Considerations during breeding season, Calving time, Proper equipment for efficiency and safety, Health considerations and Marketing. Pictured are 2 new born calves that were examined by the group. Front(L-R) Sydnie Larson, Charlee Clay, Kylie Fortune, Halie Coulter. 2nd row Dustin Newberry, Jalyn Hawk, Aubree Boyd and Aubrey Weber. We thank Jarad Weber and Mike Kassmeyer for their time and expertise. #CTEworksforCL

Congratulations to the Central Lee Quiz Bowl team for their first place finish at the Central Lee Quiz Bowl Invitational tonight! (L-R) Drake Weber, Blake Lindsay, Andrew Underwood, and Maren Robins.

Addy Brumble has long had a desire to serve her community through the medical field. Through the last several years in the Career and College Readiness program at Central Lee, she has explored careers in the classroom and job shadow. It has developed into a passion for nursing through her Work-Base Learning experience as a Patient Care Technician at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison. This year she has explored careers in nursing and radiology. #CTEworksforCL

REMINDER: 2023 Kindergarten Information Night is Wednesday, March 1, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the Central Lee PK-8 Building. Meet the teachers and hear from the principal about the goals of our kindergarten program. Children are welcome to attend!

The Central Lee FFA served more than 450 parents, community supporters, and teachers at the annual National FFA week breakfast held recently. Over 75 FFA members began cooking at 5:30AM for the annual event which took place in the Agricultural Annex on the Central Lee campus. Central Lee 2nd graders were treated to the breakfast as well. (L-R) Jerry McCarty, Janice McCarty, Makayla Morrison(chapter President), Mya Lampe(Vice-President), Trevor Edwards, Karlie Pohren, Audrey Sturdivant, Jayden Mueller, Charlee Clay and Lily Smith. #CTEworksforCL

Be sure to stop at the food truck to support Post Prom. Wilson Bros will be parked at Central Lee High School during parent teacher conferences on Tuesday, March 7th & Thursday, March 9th from 4-8pm.

During Public Schools Week, we encourage Central Lee community members to get involved and show their support for our schools! Our local public schools play an important role by providing a safe and positive learning environment for students. We’re grateful to have strong advocates within our community. Thank you so much for your support!

"Trucks ,Trains, Boats, and Planes" was the theme for Hawk's Place Career Day Thursday. The students visited with and Engineer, Jeff Dean and Signal Maintainer, Kyle Mickelson with Burlington Railways, Chief Youmans with the Coast Guard, Lindner Farms semi driver, Jonathan and Pilot/Instructors, Germain and Lilly, from Mt Pleasant Airport. As the pictures will show there were many smiles as students donned a life jacket or a railway safety vest and lamp, asked questions of the pilot and flight instructors and climbed into a semi and pulled the horn ...many times. Thank you to these individuals giving their time for the students.