Lynx News

February is here, and with it comes a fresh focus on kindness, community, and supporting every student’s growth. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue working toward strong academic and social success for all of our children.

Throughout February, our school will be celebrating Kindness Month. Students and staff will participate in activities that promote empathy, helping others, and building positive relationships. You can support at home by encouraging small acts of kindness—writing a thank-you note, helping a sibling, or offering a compliment. Together, we can continue to create a warm, inclusive school community.

Our students recently completed the Winter iReady Diagnostic, which helps us monitor progress and determine which skills need focused support.

Here are our current proficiency results:

• Reading: 58% of students are at or above proficiency

• Math: 59% of students are at or above proficiency (Math scores are still being finalized)

Teachers meet regularly in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to review student progress, identify strengths and needs, and plan targeted smallgroup instruction. This collaboration ensures each child receives the support needed to continue growing toward proficiency.

One important trend we noticed in the iReady data is the strong link between attendance and academic progress. Students with frequent absences are much less likely to reach proficiency on screenings.

Please make every effort to ensure your child is in school every day, on time, unless they are ill. Every day of learning truly makes a difference!

Friday, February 16 is a Professional Development Day for teachers.
Students will not have classes on this day.

This year, we are grateful for the work of Mr. Clark, our MTSS specialist, who has been supporting students during lunch. Through positive reinforcement, relationship building, and consistent expectations, he has made a noticeable impact on behavior and the overall lunchroom environment. We appreciate the improvements we’re seeing and the teamwork it takes to help students succeed socially and emotionally.

As we continue through the winter months, our focus remains on kindness, strong attendance, academic growth, and ensuring each child feels supported and capable. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and involvement in our school community.

Warmly,

Tamara Hofer Voegeli

Elementary Principal

Loess Hills Elementary

🎯 Mission
Loess Hills Elementary Computer Programming School incorporates computer programming to support students’ belief in their capabilities, achievement in academics, and success in preparing for college and career.

🌟 Vision
Collectively as a staff, we will create a safe environment, building strong and positive relationships among students, staff, and community to positively impact students.

Respect, Integrity, Growth, Belonging - Together We Thrive

Thank you for all that you do in helping to make attendance an important part of your child’s learning. I want to update you on our overall attendance for our first semester. During the first semester there have been challenges like illness, weather, surgeries, transportation and other family situations. Through all that, for our last semester we reached 94% attendance at Loess Hills Elementary! There is always room for improvement so please let us know how we can continue to support your student/s and your family with any attendance issues. Below is a summary of the school district’s attendance policy. Please review it and contact me or the school for any questions that you may have. Lets finish strong this second semester by improving our 94% attendance to 96%!

Together we can achieve this!!!!!!

Thank you,

Pablo Quintanilla/ Attendance Specialist

Please take a moment to read the information below to understand the district’s updated attendance policy

· All absences and tardies count toward student attendance, however, Iowa law allows exemptions for students missing school because of military service and travel time to attend a funeral or wedding. Students are considered absent when they miss school due to general illnesses, doctor's appointments, and family vacations. Parents are required to call the building to report the reason for an absence. This information is used to determine the level of support a student needs.

· If your student misses four days of school in a semester, your student's school will connect with you to resolve the attendance issues.

· If your student misses 10% of the days in a semester or 9 days, your student is considered chronically absent, and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office will be notified, in accordance with state law. Your student school will schedule an in-person meeting with you to discuss your students’ absences and review the district’s attendance policy.

· If your student misses 15% of the days in a semester or 13 days, a school engagement meeting will be scheduled with you. The school will also follow up weekly with you for the remainder of the school year to ensure your student's attendance remains a priority.

· If your student misses 20% of the days in a semester or 20 days, your student will be considered truant and the district will notify the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office for further action, which may include a warrant for compulsory attendance.

During the month of February, our Character Strong focus is on Honesty. We teach students that Honesty is “being truthful in what you say and do.” Practicing Honesty helps strengthen our relationships and can help reduce stress.

Character Strong has Family CharacterDare activities that offer families the opportunity to engage in challenges designed to increase connection and conversation at home. These also help provide students with more opportunities to practice habits discussed in class.

Here is your Family CharacterDare this month:

#1 Review Honesty as a family! Honesty is being truthful in what you say and do. Discuss the importance of being Honest and work together to create a family Honesty pledge. Create and decorate a sign together that explains what Honesty means in your family. Have each family member sign the pledge and choose a spot to display it. Refer back to the pledge as a reminder to be Honest and to celebrate when Honesty is practiced!

#2 Set aside some time to gather as a family and check in with each other. Ask each family member, “How are you feeling today?” Practice Honesty when responding and listen carefully as each family member shares. Use the emotion check-in questions to learn more. Challenge yourselves to check in with each other on a regular basis.

Emotion Check-In Questions:

· Tell me more about that feeling.

· Why do you think you are feeling that emotion?

· What do you need right now?

Here are the items we have available in the Food Pantry here at West High:

Pre-cut frozen ham slices

1 pound ground beef packages

Frozen spicy breaded chicken bites

Water bottles

4 pound packages of frozen chicken drumstick

Frozen chicken leg quarters

Applesauce cups

Spaghetti noodles

Alfredo pasta helper

Stroganoff pasta helper

Beef noodle pasta helper

Lasagna pasta helper

Canned chicken and rice soup

Canned chicken

Canned tuna

Tuna helper

Frozen assorted breads

Pancake mix

Syrup

Canned mixed vegetables

Canned beans

Canned green beans

Canned carrots

Canned mixed fruit

Canned peaches

Canned cream of mushroom soup

Frosted Flakes cereal

Macaroni and Cheese

Instant Coffee

The Loess Hills Elementary PTO meets the second Monday of every month at 4:00 p.m. in the library. Meetings are after school, quick, and focused. We touch base on current needs for our students and teachers and plan upcoming events and spring fundraisers. All parents and caregivers are welcome, PTO is for anyone, and your ideas are valuable. Please stick around after school, a kid's activity and snack will be provided.

PTO schedule (25/26): Feb 9 • Mar 9 • Apr 13 • May 11 • Jun 8

Questions or want more information?

Call 712-223-1428 or email LoessHillsElementaryPTO@gmail.com

February 16: Professional Development (NO SCHOOL)

With the cooler temperatures upon us, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the colder winter. Even during the winter season, the District allows recess and outdoor activities to continue as usual, so it is important that students have the right winter weather clothing. When the temperature feels like 15 degrees or lower, students are kept inside for recess and activities. Students should be prepared for the cooler weather with a warm coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. If your student does not have access to cold-weather apparel, please contact our school office.

The District provides every student with a device to enhance the overall learning experience. When a student receives their device, it is their responsibility to take appropriate care of the device. Unfortunately, the District has hundreds of devices damaged or destroyed each year.

Damage to devices or lost devices could result in fines and reduced Internet access. Detailed information on fees is available in the Parent/Guardian and Student Handbook on the District website. We encourage you to remind your student about the responsibility that goes with having a device.

The District’s mobile app provides quick and convenient information at your fingertips. Download the mobile to receive push notifications from the District about closings and cancellations and stay updated on today’s school lunch menu, upcoming events, and school news. Look for Sioux City Community Schools in your app store today!

We would love to collect your Hy-Vee receipts from the Sioux City or South Sioux City Hy-Vee stores. For every $100 dollars collected the school will receive $1 dollar!

Eligible receipts for groceries, prescriptions, floral, photoshop, and catering are accepted.

(No fuel, gas, postal, money order, Western Union, lottery, Quest, Mid American, bottle refunds or gift card receipts will be accepted.)

Download the app, enter rewards number when visiting Casey's. Cash out rewards to Loess Hills.

Click the Translate Newsletter button to the right of this page to view this newsletter in over 100 languages.

Haga clic en el botón Translate Newsletter para ver una traducción automática de esta carta de noticias en más de 100 idiomas.

Loess Hills is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program which allows our school to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to our students. Loess Hills students will not be charged for breakfast or lunch during the upcoming school year.

A complete list of CEP schools in our district can be found on our website. If you have a student attending another school that is not a CEP school, we encourage you to complete the 2025-2026 online application for free and reduced meals. This will help ensure other students in your family receive the meals they need during the upcoming school year.

For questions or assistance with school meals, please contact the District’s Food Service Department at 712-279-6860 or 712-279-6862.

The District is committed to providing all students with a safe learning environment in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect. The District’s Anti-Bullying, Harassment, and Hazing policy defines bullying and harassment as well as the procedures for reporting and investigating bullying or harassment complaints.

If your student feels they are being bullied or harassed, encourage your student to visit with the student involved and tell them to stop. They should also tell a teacher, principal, or trusted adult at their school. An online discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hazing complaint form is also available on the District’s website and may be completed by the student, parent, or school employee.

Volunteers are needed to join the District’s Grassroots Advocacy Committee. As a volunteer, you will receive email updates about important legislative events that could impact public education and be asked to contact local and state leaders to advocate for our schools. Volunteer today and let your voice be heard! Contact Communications@live.siouxcityschools.com

to volunteer.