Welcome Back, SIS!

August/Sept 2024

Welcome Back, SIS!!!

Hey, SIS Families!

Allow me to reintroduce myself for all of our incoming 4th grade families. My name is Melissa Holtz and I am the principal at Solon Intermediate School. This is my 4th year at Solon, my 8th year as a principal, and my 21st year working full-time in the field of education.

My family and I live in Solon. My husband, Dan, works at Wilton Precision Steel in Wilton, Iowa and I have two kids. My son, Austin, is entering his senior year of college at The University of Iowa and is majoring in Sports and Recreation Management with a minor in coaching. My daughter, Sara is entering her sophomore year at The University of Northern Iowa, majoring in Athletic Training & Rehabilitation with a minor in coaching. We have two dogs, Champion and Chipper.

I look forward to seeing many returning faces as we welcome back our 5th grade students and can't wait to get to know our incoming 4th grade families!

We are READY for OUR STUDENTS!! We loved seeing each of you at Unpack Your Backpack Night and are thrilled to know we will have many more exciting events ahead of us yet this year!

Take a peek at some upcoming important dates and extra information to follow including pick up and drop off procedures, meeting our new team members, and the all important lunch menus!

Parents, if you have any questions or concerns as the first day draws near, please let me know. I can be reached via email at mholtz@solon.k12.ia.us or via my office phone at 319-624-3401, ext. 1502.

Ready or not the school year is just around the corner!

See you soon!~

Mrs. Holtz

SIS Morning Arrival Routines and Procedures

Because we know the beginning of the school year can be a little bit chaotic, we wanted to share our pick up and drop off procedures with you so you can feel confident sending your child to school knowing he/she is ready to tackle the day.

KEY TIMES:

7:45 am: Doors Unlock

If students need breakfast they should proceed to the gym, otherwise they can report directly to their classroom.

8:00 am: Student Day Begins

3:00 pm: Student Day Ends, Bus Students Dismissed

3:05 pm: Walkers, Bikers, & Parent Pick Up Dismissed

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Doors unlock at 7:45 am.

We do not have supervision prior to this time. If your child is dropped off early he/she will be unable to enter the building until the doors unlock at 7:45 am.

Bus Students

Buses arrive at SIS beginning at 7:45 am. Students should follow the side walk around to the front of the building and enter the main doors. Students should proceed to the gym for breakfast or, if they do not need breakfast, they should go directly to their classroom..

At the end of the day, students will exit the gym doors to load their respective buses.

Parent Drop Off & Pick Up

Students who will be dropped off by their parents should utilize the 5th Street circle drive. Please drop students off at the front doors near the crosswalk. Please note: Our doors do not unlock until 7:45 am. Students should not arrive prior to 7:45 am as we do not have staff available for supervion and they will be unable to enter the building.

Students not riding the bus will be dismissed at 3:05 pm. Parents wishing to pick up their child, may line up on the circle drive and drive through to pick him/her up. If you prefer to park and wait for him/her to come to your car you may do so. School staff will help supervise the crosswalk. In order to keep the process as efficient as possible, we ask that parents remain in their cars.

Walkers & Bike Riders

In order to maintain student safety, students who walk or ride their bike to school will be released after the buses have left the parking lot at roughly 3:05 pm. Students should exit the front of the building (west doors) to retrieve their bike from the bike rack or use the sidewalk to head home.

Change of Plans

Should you need to change your child's end of day plans, you will need to contact the office. You can do so by calling our school secretary, Mrs. Tiffany Hale at 319-624-3401, ext. 1500 or you can email sisoffice@solon.k12.ia.us. In order to ensure your message is received it is recommended that you contact the office at least a half hour before the end of the school day.

Welcome NEW SIS Team Members!

SIS Things to Know

SIS works hard to make the transition from Lakeview a seamless one. Many of the details can be found in our school handbook. I just want to highlight a few things for you to ensure success as students move forward. These are topics that have historically been questions and tidbits parents appreciate knowing ahead of time.

1. 2. Early Dismissal -- SIS is the first school to dismiss each day. When we have an early dismissal, students are released at 1:32 pm. Please take note of this time and plan accordingly if your chlid is parent pick-up.

2. Cell Phones and Smart Devices -- Cell phones are to be off in student's book bags and not on their person during school day. Smart watches and gizmos may be warn unless a student is using this device to text or contact other during the school day. If this happened your child will need to remove the device and keep it in his/her book bag. One warning will be given. If it becomes a bigger problem, the device will be held in the office until a parent can come retrieve it and it may not return to school.

Here is the policy from our handbook:

Cell Phones/Smart Watches/Gizmos

All phones/smart watches/gizmos and other communication devices will be silenced or off in bags throughout the school day. If there is a distraction of any kind, the student will be asked to report to the principal’s office with the device. The parent/guardian will be contacted to pick up the device.

Smart watches/Gizmos may not be used to text or interact with others during the school day. Any student using their watch inappropriately, will be asked to remove it and place it in their bag. A second violation will result in the watching being confiscated and parents will be notified and asked to pick it up from the main office.

3. Classroom Food Items -- Please be aware that some of our students do have severe food allergies to peanuts and eggs. We also want to keep wellness in mind when sending snacks and treats for special occasions. Our school handbook lays out all the details and offers some nice options and ideas for healthy snacks. Check it out:

Wellness Policy

SNACKS: During daily snack time, families will send snacks for students on an individual basis. These snacks must meet the requirements of the district wellness policy. Pop will not be permitted.

LUNCH: Lunches brought to school must meet the requirements of the district wellness policy. Pop will not be permitted.

CLASSROOM CELEBRATIONS: (i.e. birthday and holiday parties) In order to protect our students with allergies and food intolerances, treats brought for celebrations must be commercially prepared food with an intact ingredient label or fresh, uncut fruit and vegetables. Items not meeting these requirements will not be used and will be returned home. No homemade treats will be accepted. (Note: Snacks are also available upon request to purchase from the school food service program. Non-food celebration items are great, too!)

To review the entire SCSD Wellness Policy please reference (Board policy 507.9).

Check out the list below for health snack ideas

Cheese sticks
Gogurt/Yogurt
Yogurt Smoothie
Granola Bars (not including those dipped in chocolate)
Clementine/Orange
Banana
Goldfish crackers
Cheez-its
All-Natural Fruit Leathers (not including fruit by the foot or fruit snacks)
Apple
Carrots
Pretzels
Trail Mix
Raisins
Graham Crackers
Peanut butter/cheese sandwich crackers
Beef sticks
Popcorn

For a more comprehensive list of ideas check out this Healthy School Snacks list.

Healthy Schools Snacks list URL: https://cspinet.org/protecting-our-health/nutrition/healthy-school-snackshttps://cspinet.org/protecting-our-health/nutrition/healthy-school-snacks

4. Classroom Parties, Treats, and Birthdays

PARTIES/CELEBRATIONS: On occasion SIS will hold classroom parties to celebrate holidays or special events. At certain times of the year, SIS may hold building-wide celebrations. Classroom parties will be scheduled by the classroom teacher and approved by the building administrator. On occasion, teachers may ask parents to furnish treats for parties or celebrations in which case items must meet the wellness policy guidelines mentioned above.

BIRTHDAY TREATS: If your child wishes, he/she may bring birthday treats during the year. If treats are brought, a treat should be brought for every child in the homeroom. Please follow the required SCSD Wellness policy guidelines as defined in Board policy 507.9.

BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS: If your child wishes to pass out birthday party invitations at school, invitations must be sent to all students in your child’s class. If a child does not have an invitation for each student in the class he/she will not be permitted to hand out his/her invitations.