September 2022

September Bison Spotlight Students of the Month

No School: September 5

Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year!

Mrs. Henely

Elementary Principal

Mr. Madson

K-12 Assistant Principal

We are so excited to welcome students back in the building! They bring so much joy to all of us! There are many new staff in the district this year, including Mr. Madson the new K-12 assistant principal. He will primarily focused on student expectations, attendance, and the alternative learning program.

We welcome families in for Back-to-School Conferences on Tuesday, Aug. 23 and Wednesday, Aug. 24. The first day of school is August 25th. Parents may enter the building at drop-off for first day photos on Thursday, August 25 and Friday, August 26. Please park on side streets and enter doors 1 or 11. Then starting on Monday, August 29th we ask that you say your goodbyes outside the school as only students will be able to enter, unless you need to speak with office staff. This procedure helps ensure the safety of the building, instills independence and confidence in our students, and allows our teaching staff to focus on students. Thank you for your support and understanding in this matter.

Safety is of the upmost importance. There are new safety measures being put in place. All staff, guest teachers/substitutes, and visitors will wear their ID badges in the building. The elementary building is installing a secure entrance to ensure that visitors go through the office first to sign-in and obtain a pass.

Elementary school picture day will be on Tuesday, September 20th. More details will be sent home at a later date.

We are looking forward to an amazing school year and "Linking Students with Success". Thank you for taking the time to read the entirety of this newsletter. A family newsletter will be sent approximately the first of each month.

Arrival/Dismissal During Construction

Due to the ongoing road construction on the east side of the building, there will be an alternative arrival and dismissal plan. You should have received an email from Mr. Erickson on August 16, 2022, 1:00 PM titled "Arrival/Dismissal and parking to begin the school". If you would like to review the content of the email click this link. A brief summary includes, the south and west sides of the building will be used, temporary one-way traffic and parking, walkers will not be dismissed until the busses leave, and a new dismissal pick-up routine.

During dismissal pick-up we will ask that all adults stay in their vehicles. Parking spaces (shown in blue on the shown map) will be dedicated for parents to pull into and staff will direct students to walk to those spaces when it is safe. To be clear our goal will be to keep everyone as safe as possible by limiting all people walking around moving vehicles. This is going to create a longer line for parents to pick up the students, but once the line begins moving, the process will go quickly. We'll ask for patience during the first week as this begins. As the line of vehicles lengthens, please utilize 1st Street NW and 2nd Avenue NW to begin forming an organized waiting cue. We cannot stress enough that we need all adults to remain in their vehicles.

General Reminders

Arrival and Dismissal

Student should arrive between 7:50 - 8:20 am. School starts at 8:20. With the exception of Thursday, August 25 and Friday, August 26, for safety purposes, parents are not allowed into the building when dropping off or picking up students. All visitors must check in at the office to sign in and obtain a visitor’s badge. At the end of the visit, report back to the office to sign out and return the visitor’s badge.

Regular Attendance is Important

Please help ensure your child attends school every day, on time. Only through attendance and class participation do students achieve the full benefit of the educational program. Participating in class discussions, developing an appreciation for the views and abilities of other students, and forming the habit of regular attendance are important class objectives. New to the elementary attendance policy, every sixth (6th) tardy/leaving early will count as a half-day unexcused absence.

Communicating with Office & Teachers

ATTENDANCE: All attendance must go through the office.

If your child is going to be gone, tardy, or leaving early, please be sure to notify Mrs. Davis in the Elementary Office. The office will inform the teachers of your child's attendance.

Call: 641.562.2525 | chris.davis@northiowa.org | Text: 641-458-0223

This visual provides guidance for the best way to reach staff based on the topic and desired response time. Our goal is to respond to all emails within 24 hours. If you need a response within 4 hours/day, please call the school office and you can leave a voicemail for the teacher. They have a few opportunities throughout the day to check voicemails and respond. If the topic is urgent, please call the office and a message will be delivered directly to the teacher.

Goal: Read 20 minutes a night at home.

Research has proven that reading 20 minutes a night can have a significant impact on students' academic achievement.

Read to your child, read with your child, listen to your child read, and/or have your child read independently.

Recess Clothing Reminder

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