Coralville Central Newsletter

Dear Coralville Central Families,

Happy October! We have a busy and exciting schedule ahead of us as we enter the new month.

Next week is Homecoming Week at West High! Please be sure to read through this week’s Smore for information about the activities we have planned and opportunities for our students and families to participate. It is always fun to show our school spirit and celebrate being part of the West High community!

The first month of school can feel like a long one as we settle into routines, build relationships, and learn expectations. I am proud of our students and staff for the effort they have put in to get us to where we are today. Each week, I see our students becoming more comfortable, confident, and independent in their daily routines.

I also want to give a huge thank you to all of our families. Getting a school year off to a strong start truly takes everyone. Whether it is getting students to school on time, helping with routines at home, volunteering, attending school events, or simply encouraging your child each day, your support makes a difference. We appreciate the partnership we have with our families and the tremendous community surrounding Coralville Central.

As we move into October, we have plenty to look forward to. We are excited to see what the future brings!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Andy Gahan

Here is the policy for all students' personal devices.

Personal Devices (i.e. cell phones, smart watches, tablets, personal laptops, etc.):

• ALL cell phones and other electronic devices, including smart watches, must be turned in at the start of the day.
• Phone calls can only be made from a school phone with adult supervision.
• If you need to contact a parent about an issue at school, you must first speak to a teacher or another adult about the situation.
• If it is discovered that a student has not turned in their device, parents will be called to pick it up from the office.

The district will not be held accountable for lost or stolen items brought to school by a student.

A further note, this policy extends to field trips. NO PERSONAL DEVICES WILL BE ALLOWED ON ANY FIELD TRIPS.

Encourage your child to find out where the Lost & Found is located in the building and to check it often to see if any of their things have landed there!

Monday, October 19th - NO SCHOOL

Friday, October 23rd - Kindergarten Field Trip - Sass Family Farms

Monday, October 26th - 2nd Grade Field Trip - CFI, Visiting Author

Tuesday, October 27th - Picture Retake Day

Thursday, October 29th - 4th Grade Field Trip - Voxman Music Building

Hello Coralville Central families,

My name is RaeAnn Swanson-Evans and I’m excited to continue supporting the parent-maintained green spaces we are lucky to have at CC! All are welcome to reach out with questions about the work we do. I’m usually at CC on Fridays and always looking for some extra gardeners to show around.

Thanks and happy gardening!

coralvillecentralgardens@gmail.com

When your kids are looking at/reading books, they are doing so much more than "just reading."
They are making sense of pictures and words, making connections to their own lives, interpreting, thinking about different points of view, enjoying a story, increasing motivation, and increasing their understanding of the world. Depending on the reading situation, they might even be socially active!

Do you and your kid books together?
Have you asked your kids about books they are reading?
Do you tell them about books you're reading?

--Devin Redmond (she/hers)

Teacher Librarian

Coralville Central Elementary : ICCSD

Instagram @cclibrary

Facebook @coralvillecentral

Our main goal is for students to be in school daily and to confirm their safety with a parent or guardian if they are absent. While we understand absences may occur for reasons like illness, family activities or appointments, the State of Iowa requires us to track the number of days missed, regardless of the reason. Because of the State's approach, there will no longer be a distinction between excused and unexcused absences.

Reporting Absences:

If your child will be absent, please notify your school's attendance office before the start of the school day. You can do this by creating an Absence Request in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or by calling the school attendance office. If we do not hear from you, the school will reach out to confirm your student's safety and ensure you are aware of their absence.

State Attendance Requirements:

The Iowa Department of Education has implemented strict guidance that requires schools to address absenteeism. As part of this, schools will send notifications to guardians when a student has missed a certain number of days each grading period (trimester).

• First Letter - A written notification that your child missed a certain number of days.
• Second Letter - A second written notification sharing that your child has reached 10% absenteeism in a grading period (trimester).
• Third Letter - If your child reaches 15% absenteeism, a School Engagement meeting will be scheduled, and an Absenteeism Prevention Plan will be created. If these steps are not followed, the county attorney may initiate legal proceedings.

Additional information about the State's attendance requirements and absence exemptions, as well as district guidance, is available on the updated Attendance Page of our District website.

Regular attendance is crucial for your child's success, both academically and socially.

Thank you for your partnership in making this a successful year for all our students.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD(REN) HAVE HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS?

• Establish a bedtime routine including going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning.

• NO screen time (TV, phone, tablet, gaming system) for at least 60 minutes before bedtime & no screens in their bedroom.

• Relax before bed with reading, listening to music, family time, or taking a bath.

• Don’t go to bed hungry. Eat a healthy, light snack before bed. Avoid caffeine & sugar.

• Exercise earlier in the day, not within 2 hours of bedtime.

• Make sure the bedroom is cool, quiet, dimly lit and comfortable (favorite stuffy or blanket).

Christanna Newman, BSN, RN

School Nurse at Coralville Central Elementary

Below are the District's rules/guidelines regarding parents bringing snacks into classrooms.

Classroom Snacks & Celebrations:

The District is committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for our students. Due to the increase in food allergies and concerns with childhood obesity, changes have been made to the District's Wellness Policy regarding classroom snacks, birthday treats and classroom celebrations. Some elementary schools are celebrating birthdays without food, so please check with your child's school to find out their practice.

When food is served to students in the classroom as a snack, birthday treat, or during a classroom celebration, the following rules apply (ICCSD Wellness Policy 507.9):

• allow only fresh fruits/vegetables or purchased foods with the ingredients listed (no homemade foods)
• allow only foods that meet the Healthy Food Guidelines/Smart Snacks (the only exception of this would be food-tasting related to district-approved curriculum lessons)
• not allow foods with peanuts or peanut butter, or foods that were made in a factory where cross-contamination may occur)
• food that does not meet the guidelines will be sent home
• a list of acceptable foods (Healthy Food Guidelines/Smart Snacks) will be made available to parents & teachers at the beginning of the school year

Examples of Acceptable Foods

• Veggie straws or chips
• Skinny Pop or Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn
• Cheddar Goldfish or Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• Gluten free pretzels or pretzel chips (example: Snyder's brand)
• Carrots
• GoGo Applesauce
• Fruit Leathers
• Benton's animal crackers (Aldi)
• Apples, bananas, cuties
• Pirate's Booty
• Mott's, Welch's or Annie's fruitsnacks
• Cheese sticks (low-fat)
• Yogurt tubes
• Pop chips (plain or sea salt)
• Popcorners (sea salt, cinnamon crunch, sweet & salty kettle corn and sour cream & onion)

Snacks MUST be individually packaged

• All Snacks MUST be PEANUT/TREE NUT FREE and MUST NOT be made in a facility that processes nuts. The packaging should not have any Nut Allergy warnings. Read below the ingredient label for any warnings.
• Snacks that are not on the approved list will be sent home.
• Non-food items are always preferable so all students may safely enjoy a treat. Some examples include: stickers, washable tattoos, bubbles and pencils/erasers

https://clubwest.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/t11016374

PBIS Increases Student Engagement and Instructional Time

Establishing school-wide expectations with students sets the tone for the classroom. When we spend time getting to know our students and use strategies to deepen connections every day, we are building a healthy classroom environment. When students have clear expectations, are regularly acknowledged for the things they do well, and receive instructional consequences more often than exclusionary ones, they are going to spend more time in class than out of it. Not only that, when schools implement PBIS, students are more engaged in instruction.

(Source: https://www.pbis.org/pbis/why-implement-pbis)

Looking for information on Securly, our web filtering tool? Find all
the information here www.IowaCitySchools.org/Securly.

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Thank you!

CONTACT: (319) 688-1000 | pedersen.kristin@iowacityschools.org
EXPLORE: www.IowaCitySchools.org
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Mobile App

Technology continues to evolve and play a key role in learning. One recent emerging technology claiming to transform education is artificial intelligence (AI). As the district explores both the potential and pitfalls of AI, we wanted to gain your insights. The questions within the survey will help us better understand your knowledge of AI, what concerns you may have, as well as what hunches you have about its ability to enhance student learning. In addition, your expertise will assist in the creation of guidelines for both teachers and students as they use artificial intelligence in the classroom. Your anonymous feedback will play a crucial role in ensuring artificial intelligence is not only accessible but used responsibly and effectively to enrich student learning experiences. We greatly appreciate your time and thoughtful responses to the probing questions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevjjZDHHv9QfHLmy9ek2YhScTmen739_hMp4Q_9Hdc4XdmLA/viewform

In order to achieve our goals of excellence and equity for all students, we have adopted a new school improvement model called High Reliability Schools. High Reliability Schools is a framework that supports fulfilling our vision of equitable outcomes for all students. It gives us a common language to name what we’re doing, assess our current reality, align our initiatives, and determine where to go next. It is a vehicle that allows us to balance shared responsibility and autonomy to make decisions that best meet the needs of all our students.

We are excited to get this work started and we are excited to partner in this process with all of you! We value the voice of our school community and we want to make sure that your experiences are reflected in our High Reliability Schools implementation. Throughout the year, there will be multiple opportunities for our students, families, and staff to provide feedback that will inform the work that we do. Please stay tuned for information on these opportunities. We look forward to partnering with you on this exciting new adventure!

It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact:

• Laura Cottrell (Executive Director of Educational Services & Student Success) for programming at cottrell.laura@iowacityschools.org

• Nick Proud (Chief Human Resources Officer) for employment at proud.nick@iowacityschools.org, 2255 N. Dubuque Road, Iowa City, Iowa 52245, (319) 688-1000; or

• If you are unsure how to proceed or would like assistance in discussing your options, you may also contact Janet Abejo-Parker at ombuds@iowacityschools.org or (319) 688-1312

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!