Latest news with #DMPS
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Four-day school week 'went fantastic' says Saydel Superintendent
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Saydel Community School District started looking into the possibility of a four-day school week three years ago, and this Wednesday marked the end of the school year with the first time applying that theory. There are 18 school districts in the state that have converted to a four-day school week. For Saydel, the two major goals were mental well-being and retention of quality staff. As a smaller school district surrounded by giants in the metro, something needed to change to appeal to potential teachers. 'We want to make sure that we retain our people and keep them here for longer to make a larger impact. And then obviously, you know, if we can't attract top talent, that becomes a problem as well,' said Todd Martin, Superintendent of Saydel Community School District. 'At the beginning of the summer in 2024, there were 25 full-time positions needing to be filled. Fast forward to this year, there are only 13 positions needing to be filled. For Martin, that indicates the four-day week is working.' DMPS selling student-run radio station KDPS 88.1 FM 'And in the past before that, years ago, it was nothing to have, you know, 30 new staff members. So you can see 13 is a dramatic decrease in new people to our district, which means we can spend more time on further developing people that are currently here,' said Martin. Martin added that there are 15-20 people applying for each position and people are cold calling about those jobs. That has not happened during his tenure as superintendent. The district plans on doing the four-day weeks for the next two years, with Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays off. More data will be collected about attendance, staff retention, and impact on academics. The district did a district-wide survey in the fall and the spring to see what students, staff, and parents/guardians had to say. On the academic side, Martin said that the results show in just one year on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress tests. There was an increase in scores which means, to the administration, something is working. '…10% increase is fantastic across the board as a district. Our elementary saw the greatest gains, which was really awesome,' said Martin. 'Matter of fact, we look for them to really show great improvements on the report card this year. As for our middle school and high school we did wee quite a few pockets of excellence beginning to grow, which is very promising. The way I explain this to anybody that asks is all the arrows are pointing in the right direction, and now it's just about maintaining that consistently over time to continue to move towards comprehensive improvement as a district.' Martin said schools have reached out inquiring about the four-day weeks, asking what works and what doesn't. He expects there to be even more school districts next year adopting this calendar. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of volunteers needed for National Speech and Debate Tournament in Des Moines
DES MONIES, Iowa — Des Moines Public Schools is seeking volunteers for the National Speech and Debate Tournament that will be held in the metro later this month. DMPS said they need hundreds of volunteers to help man 11 different event sites across the metro. The tournament takes place June 12-20. To learn more about how to volunteer, click here. To learn more about the tournament visit the National Speech and Debate Association website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Clive police hand out awareness stickers to help communication in emergencies
CLIVE, Iowa — The Clive Police Department is trying to improve communication with those who have medical conditions or disabilities that impact their ability to respond to verbal commands. The new Emergency Awareness Stickers Program is providing free stickers that can be placed on home entrances or vehicles to alert emergency personnel that someone inside may have a condition or disability that requires more care or understanding. They got the idea from a department in Indiana and realized it's low cost, high reward. They have six stickers so far that people can pick up for free at the Clive Police Department Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Autism or special needs Alzheimer's or dementia Diabetes A hearing impairment A seizure disorder A disability affecting mobility or communication DMPS dedicates Stop the Bleed program to Doug Richardson 'It's an awareness program so that our officers have all the information that they could possibly need or as much as they could gather prior to getting to a residence or a business and sometimes even on a traffic stop,' Clive Police Chief Mark Rehberg said. 'At the beginning of those calls, a lot of times we don't get that information from dispatch. It's not necessarily a question that is asked of a person calling in.' The autism sticker is the most requested sticker that has been picked up so far, followed by the Alzheimer's/dementia sticker. 'It's not to call anybody out, it's not to identify people on the block that might be suffering from these types of diagnoses. We just want to have that information so if they can get just one little tidbit of info knocking on a door, that's going to help things,' Rehberg said. They're also trying to reduce the use of force. 'The biggest thing is just communication and them not understanding what we want them to do and us not understanding why they won't do what we're asking them to do,' the Clive chief added. 'Typically, that usually doesn't go very well. It turns into those use of force cases that we see. Use of force is never a good look. It doesn't matter if you're fighting with a criminal or you're trying to wrestle somebody that was on the spectrum, for example, they just don't look good. So, we want to try to avoid that. That's what the purpose of this is, is just to give us a little bit more information when I go and knock at somebody's door and I see that sticker, hey, this person might have dementia, they might not respond the way we normally would think. It gives us a little bit more heads up and that information that we need to handle the call better.' Polk County has a similar program where they stick signs in peoples' yards. After Clive PD posted the stickers on their Facebook page, the comments were flooded with people tagging their police departments to get this program too. Many departments commented back saying they'll look into it. Metro News: Clive police hand out awareness stickers to help communication in emergencies Adventureland's former owner settles lawsuit over 11-year-old's drowning 147th Annual All-Alumni Scarlet Celebration takes place this weekend DMPS dedicates Stop the Bleed program to Doug Richardson Celebrated comedian bringing 2025 tour to Des Moines this fall Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
DMPS dedicates Stop the Bleed program to Doug Richardson
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Public School district is honoring its former public safety manager Doug Richardson, who died unexpectedly earlier this year. 'Though Doug is no longer with us, the lessons he taught and the memories we shared will remain etched in our hearts forever,' Melissa Abbott, health services manager at DMPS, said. 'I am proud to announce this is the first cabinet that has been hung at East High School, district-wide, in remembrance of Doug Richardson.' That first cabinet is part of the district's Stop the Bleed program. Richardson worked with Abbott to equip schools with Stop the Bleed kits in case of an emergency. He was also instrumental in adding Narcan and AEDs to the district's more than 60 buildings and vehicles. Julie Stauch announces run for Iowa governor Richardson's passion for public and school safety was evident throughout his career. Friends and family say Monday's dedication was a fitting tribute for him to forever be remembered at East High. 'East, I would say, was the biggest challenge to keep safe. And if there was one thing about him, he would never back down from a challenge,' Meegan Richardson, Doug's daughter, said. 'He always wanted to go straight into the problem and find a solution that benefited everyone.' East High School Principal Jill Versteeg said Richardson was always focused on the safety of students and staff. 'He would always take the chance to sit down and talk with staff members if they had concerns or they weren't sure why a policy was in place or why a system was in place,' Versteeg said. 'He was kind of my right hand to be able to do that and explain those after some pretty tragic events here.' A federal grant is helping the school district buy 184 kits to equip buildings and athletic facilities. Metro News: DMPS dedicates Stop the Bleed program to Doug Richardson Celebrated comedian bringing 2025 tour to Des Moines this fall Virtual reality arcade at Merle Hay Mall faces harsh reality How some DSM residents conserve water after CIWW reduction use request Riders share style and stories, Coolest Bike in Town show Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Foundation dishes another assist
The Caitlin Clark Foundation teamed up with Musco Lighting to donate and dedicate a mini-pitch at Weeks Middle School in Des Moines. DMPS Superintendent Dr Ian Roberts offers brief remarks, followed by WHO 13 drone video, and thoughts from Caitlin Clark Foundation President Mary Coffin. Clark had practice and was unable to the full press release: WEEKS MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS KICK OFF NEWEST MINI-PITCH Students at Weeks Middle School made the opening goals and free throws at the school's new mini-pitch. This particular pitch is the first-ever Caitlin Clark Foundation Community Court. While Musco Lighting has been a strong supporter in developing other soccer mini-pitches at Des Moines Public Schools, support from the Caitlin Clark Foundation is enabling the outdoor facility to be set up for basketball along with soccer and futsal. The Musco Mini-Pitch System™ modular sports solution is designed to support soccer, basketball, and futsal, a faster-paced variant of soccer. With built-in goals and added hoops, integrated fencing, lighting, benches, custom surfacing, and ADA-accessible gates, the structures will help bring youth in our community together for recreation. 'Providing every student at DMPS with greater access to activities and athletics, along with the first-rate facilities they deserve, is an important part of our strategic plan to reimagine education in Des Moines,' said Dr. Ian Roberts, superintendent of DMPS. 'To have an internationally recognized business like Musco Lighting team up with a world class athlete like Caitlin Clark in support of DMPS means a great deal in helping us realize our goal of creating more opportunities for more students.' 'As an Iowa-based company, this project is especially meaningful to us,' said Jeff Rogers, CEO of Musco Lighting. 'These community courts will fulfill the Caitlin Clark Foundation's sports pillar, and help increase access to recreation to provide a space for kids to develop life skills with their friends and family. ' In addition to Weeks, Musco and the Caitlin Clark Foundation are developing new courts at Callanan, Hiatt and McCombs middle schools. When completed in time for next school year, all ten DMPS middle schools will have a mini-pitch for students. 'We are thrilled to open the first of our four Community Courts in partnership with the fantastic teams at Des Moines Public Schools and Musco Lighting,' said Mary Coffin, President of Caitlin Clark Foundation. 'These courts provide youth in our communities with quality space to be active and participate in sports which develop important life-long skills to chase their dreams.'The Caitlin Clark Foundation and Musco call their relationship a perfect match. The two organizations are located in Iowa and are both committed to equitable access to recreation for youth. Both have a passion for sports, whether it is a game played at the local park and recreation field, a high school gymnasium, a college arena, or a professional venue. Both understand that sports build teamwork, resiliency, and healthy habits. According to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, about 6.5 million kids live within one-half mile of a mini-pitch, and each pitch can reach an average of 10,000 kids. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
