Click Here for more information about Hutch Tiger Activities
Activities Director – Thayne Johnson, CAA
Phone: 320-234-2698
Email: thayne.johnson@isd423.org
Administrative Assistant – Amber Larson
Phone: 320-234-2647
Email: amber.larson@isd423.org
By Dan Olberg, Park Elementary Principal
One of the beliefs we have at Park Elementary is that everyone is a scientist. We are trying to break the stereotypical image that our students have regarding scientists. Scientists are not just those who dress up in a white lab coats and wear safety glasses all day. Scientists are farmers, cooks, hairdressers, construction workers, and much more. So when a student brought up the fact that moms and dads are scientists, I started to think about how true that statement is – especially as we know more about the brain and how it functions early in life.
Scientifically speaking, if there was one part of the brain that is more important to the intelligence of a child it would have to be the cerebral cortex. That’s where higher cognitive processing occurs. As children learn new things they are essentially changing those neurons, or nerve cells, their structure, and the chemistry in their cerebral cortices.
Human beings get an explosive growth of dendrites in the cerebral cortex, like branches, in their first 8 to 10 years of life. These branches link knowledge and experiences together. Think of it as a tree with branches and leaves. The leaves hold pieces of information and the branches link the information together. As long as new experiences and knowledge continues to filter in, the branches grow and sprout new leaves. Naturally, there is a rapid growth of branches in these early years and it peaks at about the age of 10 when it slowly starts to decrease. At this point the branches that haven’t made connections die off. This process is called pruning. That’s why there’s so much interest today in those first 10 years of life.
So we need to ask ourselves as scientists some very important questions. How can we give children the best experiences for maximum growth? What activities are our children doing that foster brain growth? What activities are our children doing to stifle or limit the growth? What are we doing as parents to engage our children in life experiences? Those questions are not hard to answer; however, acting on them can be more than difficult at times.
So the students had it right, parenting is part science. Our guidance through these important years is scientifically important. The most exciting discovery about all this research is that education should continue for a lifetime. The brain’s capacity for learning and change is limitless, depending on our willingness to seek new experiences and opportunities. Our “trees,” as well as our children’s can continue to fill out and expand with a wide variety of real-world and academic activities. “Branch out” and support children’s continued brain growth.
Christian Kurth – Wrestling
Christian had a tremendous year for us in wrestling and finished it off with a third place finish at state. His effort and tenacity in those close matches at state were the difference in where he finished on the podium. Christian made the most of his opportunities and put it all on the line when it counted the most.
Tucker Gifferson – Wrestling
Tucker has put a lot of extra work in the weight room to prepare him for wrestling. He battled through not feeling well at the state tournament and still placed in the top 6 at his weight class. Tucker is a very respectful student athlete that truly appreciates the opportunity to compete for the Tigers and always gives his best effort.
Anton Nunvar – Swimming
Anton has been named an All-State Swimmer for the 3rd consecutive year by placing 6th in the 100 yard backstroke. Anton has shown great poise and dedication even though he has battled injuries during the entire season. He has never complained through the frustrations of not being able to swim his best events during the season.
You may have heard about issues surrounding YouTube and challenges targeting young children. We wanted to take a moment to share some important child safety information with you through the image linked below. While the “Momo Challenge” has been unverifiable, it is important to be aware of what children are watching through video apps, and nothing is ever guaranteed to be safe. If you have any concerns regarding internet safety for your children, contact the District’s Technology Innovation Specialist Jocelynn Buckentin at 320-234-2716 or jocelynn.buckentin@isd423.org.
Click Here for more information about Hutch Tiger Activities
Activities Director – Thayne Johnson, CAA
Phone: 320-234-2698
Email: thayne.johnson@isd423.org
Administrative Assistant – Amber Larson
Phone: 320-234-2647
Email: amber.larson@isd423.org
The ISD 423 Board of Education will conduct a special meeting on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 beginning at 11:30 am in the conference room at the District office (30 Glen St NW) and a regular meeting on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 beginning at 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers at the Hutchinson City Center (111 Hassan St SE).
Cole and Jordan are our TIGERs of the Week for February 25 – March 1
Cole Meyer – Band
Cole was one of 16 trumpet students out of hundreds in the state that auditioned and made it into All-State Band this year. Because of this he performed a concert with the Symphonic Band on the stage of Orchestra Hall. All-State band is a blind auditioned based group regardless of class size. Cole put in countless hours in preparation for this event and all of his hard work paid off. Cole is the 6th student from Hutchinson to audition and make it into All-State Band.
Jordan Ludowese – Knowledge Bowl
Jordan has been an extremely valuable member of the Knowledge Bowl team this year. She pushes herself and team to collaborate, being better together for the achievement of the whole group. Jordan is constantly pushing and challenging expectations.
While eating lunch with my 95- year old mother and some of her friends in Minneapolis I was asked if I thought Hutchinson had an immigration problem. I quickly responded , “Yes, I think we do. We do not have enough diversity in Hutchinson.”
I appreciate our city and after living, working, and raising our children here since 1985 we plan to stay for our retirement years. So why was my response to the immigration question so quick and possibly judgmental?
I believe we learn from people who are not like us and especially from people who have had very different experiences.
There is diversity in Hutchinson of many kinds. The schools of district 423, that I am most familiar with, have great teachers, staff, and students. There is strength in the diversity found in each of our schools. I found a quote from Ani DiFranco that says, “I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort, where we overlap.”
I have a story of diversity and welcoming from Park Elementary. I remember a second grade student I taught at Park nine years ago. Amos (pronounced with the accent on the second syllable) came from Kenya and entered Park after the school year had started. He spoke no English and I was nervous about how to teach him. On his first day he knocked on the large boy’s bathroom door before going in. He ate very little of the school lunch and was cold on the playground. Helping him to learn English and learn about life in Hutchinson became an exciting class project; one that we took very seriously. We sat with him, walked with him, played with him, and taught him words and ideas. As happened every year, we had lots of math and reading lessons. We had parties, field trips and many thousands of opportunities for conversations. Amos quickly learned to understand the English words we were using and then to speak English. It is said that listening to and speaking a language comes before reading and writing it. We started each day of second grade with opening routines. We had show and tell. Late in the school year Amos started to raise his hand, go to the sharing chair, and begin with, “I have a story to tell.” His stories were delightful. One, I remember was about hearing lions roaring at night in the wild. Another story was about a relative who killed a deadly snake in the family garden with a hoe. Amos taught us about Kenya and the beauty of another language spoken in another part of the world. I know we taught him many things too before his family moved at the end of the school year. I will never forget Amos and what an honor it was to learn from him as he learned from us. In our second grade class we didn’t vote to become welcoming, we simply were.
If I ever get asked the question about immigration again I will respond differently. I will say that we have diversity, but we should welcome more.
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