A friendly reminder there is no school for Kindergarten ONLY on Tuesday, April 11 due to Kindergarten Round-Up.

Children who will be five years of age by September 15 are invited to attend a portion of the day in Kindergarten. The incoming kindergartners will get a chance to meet each other, the teachers, and explore the kindergarten classrooms from 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 12:30-3:30 p.m. Students currently in North Iowa Preschool will attend preschool as normal and will attend Round-Up as part of their day.

Those children not enrolled in North Iowa Preschool should call the school to register their child for either the morning or afternoon session.

Parents will be invited to attend a parent meeting on May 9th at 5:00 PM in the school commons. They will hear presentations from the Kindergarten Teachers and Elementary Principal. More Information...

Registration packets will be available in the school offices beginning on Monday, March 27, 2023, at 8:00 AM. We will continue to participate in the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program which means children turning four years old by September 15, 2023, will be able to attend the program for free.

There will be two sessions available for next year. Class sizes are limited to 20 children per session. A waiting list will be started should more than 40 children enroll. We will try to honor this, but cannot guarantee which students are in the morning and afternoon sessions. Session placement will be communicated no later than the first week of August. 

• Morning Session - 8:30 – 11:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday

• Afternoon Session - 12:30 - 3:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday

Families who need transportation will be able to utilize the regular school bus routes in the morning and afternoon. The mid-day route for 4-year-olds will drop off morning students and pick up afternoon students at designated locations in the communities of Buffalo Center, Lakota, Thompson, Rake, and Titonka.

Please contact Chris Davis, Elementary Administrative Assistant with questions, at chris.davis@northiowa.org or 641-562-2525.

Parents are encouraged to pre-register by June 1st, so North Iowa CSD is better able to prepare for the student's arrival this fall.

Monday, April 24

5:30 - 6:00 PM - Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade 

• K-2nd students should report to their classrooms between 5:00-5:20.

• 3rd - 5th grade siblings will sit with their parents in the audience 

• K-2nd students will be dismissed at 6:00 and can be picked up in their classrooms. 

6:15 - 7:00 PM - 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, and 5th Grade 

• 3rd - 5th students sitting in the audience to see their younger siblings perform can report to their classroom at the intermission. 

• All other 3rd -5th students should report to their classrooms between 5:50-6:10 

• Students will be dismissed after the 3rd - 5th grade performances at 7:00 and can be picked up in their classroom.

In the last year, North Iowa Elementary has continued to implement Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS). We now have consistent and universal methods for acknowledging individuals with Bison Spotlight Student of the Month, Bison Pride tickets, class rewards when they fill their gem jars, and full jars tallied for school-wide rewards such as PJ Day and BINGO. We have also implemented consistent ways to track and communicate behavioral referrals.

You may have started to see the white copy of our new Bison Pride tickets coming home in your child's backpack. The staff has begun acknowledging individuals for demonstrating the Bison Expectations of being Safe, Responsible, and Respectful. The white copy is to share with families and the yellow copy goes into a class jar for Friday drawings. 

During the month of March, students were trying to reach a goal of 90,000 minutes of reading. Students reported the number of minutes they read each week with the goal being 100 minutes a week. If students met the 90,000 minutes goal then I, Mrs. Henely, would have to dye my hair blue! 

I had no doubt they would meet this goal. I had multiple students report that they read over 1000 minutes a week. I am ecstatic to report that students collectively read over 161,000 minutes during March! On Friday, April 14, students will be dyeing my hair blue. Since they blew the goal out of the water, we have also declared Monday, April 17 a pajama day so they can reap the rewards of their hard work as well! 

We appreciate parents' support with having your child read or read to them 20 minutes a night. Thank you!

Spring has sprung and we are looking forward to warmer weather! However, temps can vary widely this season. There is an AM, Noon, and PM recess each day. Please refer to the visual provided and send students in attire that allow them to be comfortable for the coldest and warmest temperatures throughout the school day.