It’s a common misconception: when people think of "curriculum," they often think of a textbook. But, what exactly constitutes a complete "curriculum," and what is involved in reviewing curriculum?  A curriculum review is more than just buying the next set of support materials.  In high-performing school districts, curriculum review is a continuous improvement process.  Read how reviews are changing and curriculum is improving in ACSD.

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Morgan Patkin, a Prairie Ridge Middle School 7th grade student, is one of the five regional winners of the 2012 Iowa League of Cities “If I Were Mayor” essay contest. Governor Terry Branstad presented winners of the contest with a plaque at the League’s Legislative Day, held in Des Moines, January 24, 2012. In addition to the plaque, winners receive a savings bond, and their essays will be featured in Cityscape magazine. Read the full story and essay here.

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On January 10, Ankeny High School’s highest academically-ranked seniors joined school administrators as Governor Branstad’s guests at his annual Condition of the State Address. A key point of focus in the governor’s address was his proposed “Blueprint for Education,” outlining ten steps the governor believes should be taken in order to turn Iowa’s good schools into world-class schools. The governor invited students and administrators from Ankeny, Van Meter, and Capitol View Elementary to represent high performing Iowa schools at the address.  Read the full story and see photos from the trip here.

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Board Briefs are an informal summary of each Board meeting, published as a quick informational tool to keep you in touch with the Ankeny Board of Education. Board Briefs require Adobe Reader to view.  Read the January 16 Board Brief here.

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On January 9, the School Board approved several adjustments to the 2012-2013 school calendar.  The start of school was moved from August 13 to August 15, 2012.  The scheduled last day of school moved from May 22 to May 23.  Spring break was set for March 15-22, 2013.  Dates for back-to-school nights and P/T conferences are not yet finalized and are will be updated on the calendar at a later date. Download the revised 2012-2013 At-A-Glance Calendar here.

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Ankeny Show Choirs swept the Midwest Cup Show Choir Invitational 2012 held at the University of Nebraska on January 14. Perpetual Motion took first place in the prep division. In varsity group, Visual Adrenaline won Best Choreography, Best Vocals and was awarded overall Grand Champion. The competition included a total of 22 choirs from four states, including Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Texas.  Read the full story and view photos here.

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Ankeny crowned two state champions and placed 3rd overall at the Iowa High School Speech Association State Debate Tournament January 6th and 7th at the DMACC campus in Ankeny. Despite only competing in three of the four events, Ankeny debaters took top honors in two categories, with Grant Laverty (junior) as the State Champion in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Tanner Westberg (senior)as the State Champion in Student Congress Debate.  Read the full story and more debate results here.

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Five Ankeny students were among the 508 students from Iowa and throughout the nation who were recently invited to be honored at the University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center’s Recognition Ceremony in the Main Lounge of the University of Iowa Memorial Union. The recognition ceremony is held annually as an opportunity to acknowledge those students in grades 4–12 who either earned scores in the top 1% of the Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS); were selected to one of the Belin-Blank scholarship programs; or received special recognition in a Belin-Blank Center program.  Read the full story here.

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Kindergarten registration forms for the Ankeny Community Schools 2012-2013 school year are now available on the web.  Registration will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, February 2, 2012.  If you have a child who will be five years of age on or before September 15, 2012, please plan to attend the kindergarten registration at your neighborhood attendance center.  Learn more about kindergarten registration here...

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The Ankeny Chapter of Dollars for Scholars announces that its scholarship application is now available on-line at the Ankeny High School Guidance Department website.  To apply, print and fill out the application and submit it to the Ankeny High School Guidance Department for grade point average (GPA) validation no later than March 1, 2012.  Many students will receive college scholarship funds from this community support network.  Read more about eligibility, application and donation to Dollars for Scholars.

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The winter edition of Ankeny Advance is now available.  Ankeny Advance is published in .pdf format and requires the free Adobe Reader to view.  The fall edition is also mailed each year, with the winter and spring editions distributed electronically.  

This edition includes information about 52 students earning AP Scholar Awards, naming of the new Prairie Trail Elementary principal, the use of performance data in secondary schools, enrollment projections, kindergarten registration information, teacher collaboration, curriculum reviews,  and much more.  Read the new edition of Ankeny Advance here.

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On Thursday, December 29, Prairie Ridge social studies teacher and varsity tennis coach Dennis Hoefle passed away after having suffered a sudden brain aneurism.  Two memorial funds have been designated to receive gifts and memorials. The Hoefle Family Memorial Fund has been set up to help support Dennis’ children and to pay for education, and Up With Down is an advocacy and support group for children with Down Syndrome.  Memorials may be sent to:

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