Mary Ann

What words describe your “first day back?”

Mary Ann — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:39:50 +0000

This past weekend I was caught-up in the frenzy of parents and their children purchasing school items for the 09-10 school year. Children were saying such things as, “but it isn’t Dora”, or “I want Spiderman”…while the parents were reluctantly searching for a possible last minute bargain! Of course, it caused me to reflect back on some of my favorite back-to-school memories and the one item that still stands out clearly is the “black and white” hard covered composition book! Be honest, I bet you can vividly picture it in your mind also! I had to succomb to the excitement and splurge on some new “earth colored” permanent markers, brightly colored binder tabs and flags that glow-in-the-dark! What were your favorite finds this year? Past memories…share them!

Andy Mogle, FCS teacher at Norwalk High School emailed and shared the following reflection “First day of school was awesome. I love the first day of school”! Thanks, Andy for sharing that wonderful perspective…which leads me to ponder, “what are some other descriptors that would express your “first day back”…why not share them through responding to this blog! I will be waiting!

Have an enjoyable weekend…to reflect, refresh, and rejoice!

Mary Ann

Wordle…Technology Tool for YOU!

Mary Ann — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:42:33 +0000

Good morning! One thing I guess I need to remember is that a blog should really be “brief”…and if you know me, that is difficult! However, I want you to use this blog for quick links to resources, updates, links, and so on…so, I will always “tag” it so you can easily find it in the archives.

Today’s technology tip is perfect for your FCS curriculum! Have your students google “wordle”…and you will find the FREE software that will generate “word clouds” from the text that you and your students provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently. It takes minutes! Perfect for a quick poster of “personality traits”; poster for your FCS classroom; FCCLA events and so much more!

Enjoy! That’s all for now!

Mary Ann

Culinary 101 DMACC FCS Grads!

Mary Ann — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:04:44 +0000

Enjoy the following slideshow of the FCS teachers from Iowa who graduated from the Culinary 101 Workshop held at DMACC, Ankeny Campus this summer!

http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d5441314d7a4d324d6a593d0d0a&sb=1

Culinary 101 - 2009 FCS Participants

Mary Ann — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:51:34 +0000

Culinary 101 - 2009

This week, 24 Iowa FCS Instructors completed an intense 3-day Culinary 101 workshop sponsored by DMACC, Grand View and the Department of Education. Please check out the slide show attached above and plan to attend next summer!

Have a great weekend!

Getting Ready for National FCCLA!

Mary Ann — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:16:22 +0000

Good Morning!

This new blog feature is designed to keep you updated on upcoming events for FCS and FCCLA! Each post will have a “title” which will be archived and easy to access in the future…

This year, the National FCCLA Leadership Conference will be held in Nashville, TN from July 11-16, 2009…”Beyond the Label” is this year’s theme! A delegation of over 50 STAR participants, members, alumnae and adviser/chaperones will be representing Iowa.

National Officer Candidates: Lana Miller, Williamsburg Chapter, is representing Iowa as a regional candidate; Nick Kaizer, Gilbert Chapter will be Iowa’s at-large candidate! Leadership at it’s best!

Adviser Award Recipients:Cheryl Larson, Roland-Story Adviser, will be receiving recognition as Iowa’s Spirit of Advising award recipient.

Karlene Wonderlich, Gilbert MS Adviser; Sue Altizer, Shenandoah MS Adviser; Betty Hugunin, Waukee Adviser; and Kathleen Grunhovd, Lake Mills Adviser will be receiving recognition as Adviser Mentor’s from Iowa.

Shelley Becker, Kuemper Adviser and Martha McMahon, Farragut Adviser will be recognized as Master Adviser Award recipients also during national conference. Congratulations to everyone for a job well-done!

To check out what is happening with Iowa FCCLA, go to: www.iafccla.org

Leading the Way…with FCCLA!

Welcome to my Iowa FCS Blog

Mary Ann — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:13:30 +0000

A new feature for resources, updates, and more! Check back often!