Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Elementary features different setup this fall
Preschool teacher Darcy Brugman walks with students on the first day of school last Friday.
Counselor Marlana Tewes chats with the CC/E Elementary student body last week inside the gym.
Friends Owen Campbell, Sawyer Anderson, Tayte Curry and JR Morales were excited to reunite in the gym on Friday morning during the first day of school.
Kindergartner Jade Boyles enjoyed her yummy meal.
Children, families, community members, staff and members of the Clay County Sheriff's department enjoyed CC/E's Annual Back to School Bash Grill-out last Thursday, which featured wacky baseball.
School only started last Friday, but big changes have already taken place at Clay Central/Everly Elementary this year.
The 2024-25 school year marks the first at CC/E with combined grade levels. This fall, the fifth and sixth grade classrooms are combined, as are the third and fourth grades.
Though the year is young, CC/E Director of Student Services Michelle Huntress has been pleased.
"Our two multi-grade classrooms are going super well," she said. "We are a team at CC/E. We help each other so every child succeeds."
The decision to combine certain grade levels was made by the school board last year. Back then, there were three grade levels at CC/E Elementary with only five students. Overall K-6 enrollment was 51 with the largest class having 11 students. According to previous board discussion, combining classrooms had the opportunity to enrich students' learning experiences and social relationships with more peer-to-peer interactions.
School administrators began prepping for the change last winter. Teachers visited Stratford Elementary in central Iowa, which has utilized a similar setup for several years. They also took advantage of several training opportunities from the AEA.
"We prepared by having teachers work in the spring with our leadership team and the AEA to develop meaningful schedules that allow for some whole-group learning and some differentiated learning based on grade level needs of students in reading and math," Huntress explained. "Teachers have lots of support from Mrs. Roti, Title 1, guidance, special education, and TAG teachers."
The shift to multi-grade classrooms necessitated some aesthetic changes in the Royal building. The two multi-grade rooms each have access to two rooms with shared doors between them – one room is set up in a traditional classroom format with desks, and the second is more of a "learning centers" room, Huntress explained.
"There is soft furniture, a library, and places students can read with a buddy, write with a friend, practice math skills on the computer, write, or work independently," she said. "We ordered lots of new furniture for the learning center rooms. The rooms are beautiful and the students have told me they love it."
Under the new arrangement, Shayna Hartwig has 10 students in the third and fourth grade room while Alexa Sickleka has 16 in fifth and sixth grade. Huntress said the new setup will be tweaked as needed.
"The schedule and instructional routines seem like they have a good flow to them, and of course, we'll observe, evaluate, and adjust as we determine needs for adjustments along the way," she said.
• New playground to be installed next month
Other exciting changes are in store for CC/E students next month.
The preschool's new playground equipment will be installed in the Nature Learning Center. The school board this spring agreed to move forward with the purchase, which will greatly improve outside amenities for the district's youngest students.
According to previous board discussion, the Nature Learning Center has become outdated and hard to maintain. Many of the untreated wood fixtures are rotting and weed management has become an annual headache.
The existing sandbox, playhouse and stage will remain after the new equipment is installed.
