In an effort to improve the quality of education in the Waverly-Shell Rock School District, the district has developed numerous goals targeting different aspects of the education process. Outlined in the following are the goals for the district as a whole as defined by the superintendent and the school board. Along with these district goals, each of the seven buildings in the school district has also developed a set of building goals for students and faculty. The principal for each of these buildings is listed under the school.

District Goals

The ultimate goal of our school system is to increase student achievement.
To that end we will:

Focal Points for Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools

Developed by Jere Vyverberg, superintendent

     With the goal of continual improvement and advancement in the quality of education offered in the Waverly-Shell Rock School District, Jere Vyverberg, superintendent of schools, has developed areas of improvement or goals for the district. Ideally these goals will be monitored and revised to accommodate for varying individual student needs .
     As a K-12 organization, the Waverly-Shell Rock School District plans to increase student skills and achievement in reading and math. "This will be achieved through continued support of increased resources with success identified through comprehensive data analysis of student assessment scores", Vyverberg has stated.
     During each year that a student is enrolled in the district, he or she should have connections with caring adults. These connections could be through mentoring, service learning, care team, student activities, classroom engagement or work-based learning.  These relationships should help us to achieve ZERO dropout rates.  In the past 4 years, our dropout rate has gone down from 4.5% to less than 1%.
     Beginning with their first school experience, students should be  prepared to function in the world outside of the Waverly-Shell Rock school district. The district will structure a variety of multicultural experiences, promote career awareness, foster appreciation of the arts, understand the importance of demonstrating good character traits, heighten civic involvement through service, promote technological literacy and develop strategies in K-12 to strengthen student performance in each of our six essential learnings.
     Another goal to be achieved in the next five years is to increase student involvement in Waverly-Shell Rock schools and the greater district community. This goal can be achieved by providing engaging curriculum in a caring school community which encourages students to participate. Recognition of skills developed and demonstrated will further motivate students.
     In light of changing demographics of the community, the district should be able to demonstrate essential services that can be provided to the non-parent public. These services would include community education, economic development, intergenerational experiences and civic involvement.  These services can be enhanced by continued repair, renovation and replacement of district facilities as needed to meet student needs.
 

2009-10 District School Improvement Goals

click here for District Improvement Goals

2010-11 Waverly-Shell Rock Board Goals

1.  Continue to address short & long range facility goals related to maintenance, updating & replacement. 

2.  Closely monitor the construction and financing of identified district facility needs.

3.  Identify needed resources for students & staff during a crisis event.  List current and proposed district resources.

4.  Continue to use the superintendent evaluation and board self-evaluation process developed by the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Iowa Department of Education, and School    Administrators of Iowa. 

5.  Each board member will develop an Individual Professional  Development Plan based on the SMART goal format.

6.  Continue to monitor and evaluate the district’s progress toward implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum.

Senior High School

developed by Ken Winter, principal

    The last few years have shown exciting changes at Waverly-Shell Rock high school. We continue to place emphasis on fine tuning our curriculum. With the increase in the graduation requirements of four years of English and three years of math, science and social studies, more emphasis will be placed upon the increase in course selection so that all students will be able to meet this demand. Math has added a Pre Algebra course; science has added a Science Issues course and a badly needed Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology course. Language Arts (English) has begun a process to revamp the organizational structure of their curriculum to make the coursework more meaningful and comprehensive with high capacities in reading and writing.
    Science and Agriculture has put together a team-taught course, Environmental Conservation, a venture that can only give great returns for students.  This course is a dual credit course with Hawkeye Community College.  Upon successful completion, students will not only get high school credit, but three hours of college credit.  We hope that this is the first of other contracted courses with HCC.
     This also is the first year of teaching courses by Polycom.  The courses are taught with the participation of students from outlying districts.  They receive high school credit once they have successfully completed the course with our teachers.  These interactive courses on line are Finite Math and Introduction to Calculus.  This year, students from Clarksville have been involved and next we hope to add on interested students from Tripoli.  It is a great asset to those districts who do not offer these upper level math courses. 
     We have made great strides in attending to students who need help in their coursework.  Many of these courses are co-taught.  Teachers here work together is delivery of the class to the students with emphasis on creating an atmosphere of positive academic and social growth of all students.  We presently have nine such teams and are looking at adding two more in the coming year.
     We continue to work on our character education.  The district has been rewriting the curriculum for character education, hopefully will be completed and implemented for next year.  One of our goals is to put into practice and homeroom/activities period where a number of students are assigned to each teacher.  The period would include the principles of character education, career planning, assistance with coursework, social interaction, and a variety of other emphasis.  This is in the planning stage.  One of the goals is to have a place for each student to have an adult contact in the building.  
     The physical plant will nearly double in size in the following years with the new addition of an auditorium and gymnasium.  We look to having the graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2006-07 in the new gymnasium this year.  Included in the website are the plans and the layout of the new addition.  This will certainly bring in an increase in activities in the building.

Middle School

Steve Kwikkel, principal

     The Middle School is working to increase student responsibility. This includes completing assignments, bringing proper materials to class and being on time.
     The Middle School is also trying to increase the respect each student has for him or herself and as well as others in the building.

Irving Elementary School

Roger Wilcox, principal

    Irving School continues to work on reading, math, and science skills as well as character development.  In reading, students are required to read a book at their level each month and pass a Reading Counts quiz.  Individual classroom teachers also have required reading times outside of the school day.  During classroom instruction, teachers have been incorporating Strategies That Work into their daily instruction in all subject areas as well as using graphic organizers to aid in student understanding of concepts being taught.  Our goal is that we continue to increase the number of students considered to be proficient in all content areas as measured by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.
    Mr. Fate, Elementary Guidance Counselor, has been working on the Six Pillars of Character with the students in classroom guidance and well as in small group sessions.  Mr. Fate also offers a parenting class called, “1, 2, 3 Magic,” which helps parents set parameters and appropriate consequences for children at home.  We hope to reduce the number of office referrals by 50%.  We are already seeing great progress towards this goal. 
    The special area teachers in art, music, and PE are also heavily invested in Character Education at Irving Elementary.  They have been working together to create common language such as Know Yourself, Know Your Stuff, Know Your Manners.  Within these three broader areas, the teachers focus on six guiding principles:  Marvelous Me; Think About It; Your Job, My Job; Take Care of You; Manners Matter; and Character Counts. 
    Students at Irving have several opportunities to participate in extra activities that help them showcase their individual talents.  Some of the activities offered to students include band, chorus, orchestra, percussion ensemble, recorder ensemble, chess club, yearbook, math club, movement team, math enrichment, and instrumental solo festivals.  
    We try to have several events throughout the school year that mixes our students with the sixth graders at Shell Rock Elementary and St. Paul’s Elementary Schools.  Events such as Wartburg College’s Community Builder Program, Heery Woods Outdoor Education Day, 6th Grade Wellness Day, Go the Distance Day, and Waverly Light and Power’s Festival on the Green are ways that we introduce and mix students together in preparation for all of these students going to 7th grade at the W-SR Middle School.

Shell Rock Elementary School

Micky Bahlmann, principal

    Shell Rock is a K-4 grade building located in Shell Rock, Iowa.  Reading and math strategies are the focus of instruction, and science and social studies activities are brought to life through hands-on experiences, field trips, and technology.  All students participate in the Reading Counts program which supplements reading instruction.  A strong PTO provides support of our students and staff through varied activities and events.  Our 5th and 6th grade students participate in band, orchestra, and chorus with Irving students.  The 6th graders also participate in Community Builders in connection with Wartburg College, and other 6th graders in the area, on a monthly basis.  Numerous special education classrooms are located at Shell Rock that serve district students.  Shell Rock is a wonderful facility with numerous specialized classroom spaces, a large gym, a welcoming commons area, and a well-equipped playground. 

Carey Elementary School

Micky Bahlmann, principal

    Carey Elementary is a K-4 grade facility with two sections of each grade.  Carey School continues its work on increasing student achievement at all levels and promoting positive family relationships, as well.   Reading and math instruction are the center of the instructional day.  Classroom teachers and reading associates are highly experienced in teaching reading strategies, and the Reading Counts program supplements reading instruction.  The Carey parents have been very involved in helping to promote the importance of reading.  The parent group has helped fund the Scholastic Reading Counts program, parents help to supervise the computer lab each morning for Reading Counts quizzes, they coordinate a book swap for students once a month, and each parent helps their children find a quiet time at night for reading in their home.  Carey School also has a Read and Feed program twice a month where students enjoy popcorn at school while reading their favorite book   Instructional time is maximized, students are respectful, and academic achievement is very high.

Southeast Elementary School

Christi Lines, principal

    Southeast School strives to improve student achievement with building goals in reading and math. Teachers collaborate regarding the most current research and best instructional practices.  A new math curriculum provides rigorous learning opportunities, active student engagement, and parent involvement activities. In reading, students in grades K and 1 work on phonemic awareness and word attack skills, and their pre-reading skills are assessed three times a year using the DIBELS assessment.  The data collected guides teachers in their planning and instruction and helps with early identification of students who need additional reading support.  We also assess oral reading fluency of students in grades 1-4, and reading and math proficiency on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in grades 3 and 4. Parents help their children with reading outside of school through the use of a reading calendar, and older children take Reading Counts tests on the computer and earn points that can be used as incentives for further reading. 
     In addition to math and reading goals, we work to increase the use of technology to support learning and provide experiences to develop positive character. We also promote success through parent involvement.

West Cedar Elementary School

Roger Wilcox, principal

    West Cedar School continues to focus on reading and math skills as well as manners.  In reading, students in grades K and 1 work on phonemic awareness and word attack skills. Students’ pre-reading skills are assessed three times a year using the DIBELS assessment.  DIBELS reports guide teachers in their planning and instruction, and these reports also help with early identification of students who need additional reading support.  We also assess oral reading fluency for students in grades    1-4.  Parents help their children with reading outside of school through the use of a reading calendar, and older children take Reading Counts tests on the computer and earn points that can be used as incentives for further reading. 
    West Cedar teachers have been incorporating Strategies That Work into their daily instruction in all subject areas as well as using graphic organizers to aid in student understanding of concepts being taught.  Our goal is that we continue to increase the number of students considered to be proficient in all content areas as measured by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.
    Mrs. Chidester, Elementary Guidance Counselor, and Mrs. Henning, Family Advocate, have been working on manners and character education with the students in classroom guidance and well as in small group sessions.  Mrs. Chidester uses the “Kelly Bear” program for her classroom instruction about feelings in grades K and 1, the “Good Neighbor Garden” program for teaching problem solving to 2nd graders, the “Jack Russell Puppet” to teach 3rd graders how to recognize the talents of others, and she uses the “5 Basic Needs” curriculum to teach 4th graders about Survival, Freedom, Fun, Power, and Love.  
    The special area teachers in art, music, and PE are also heavily invested in Character Education at Irving Elementary.  They have been working together to create common language such as Know Yourself, Know Your Stuff, Know Your Manners.  Within these three broader areas, the teachers focus on six guiding principles:  Marvelous Me; Think About It; Your Job, My Job; Take Care of You; Manners Matter; and Character Counts.