Wizards Newsletter

Dear Wickham Families,

It has been a productive and fast-moving week at Wickham. Please read the newsletter carefully this week as we have a lot of information to share with you. If you missed last week's information about Parent-Teacher Conferences, please click the previous newsletter link below.

Our fourth-grade students participated in a field trip to the Voxman Music Building, where they enjoyed learning from the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra. You could ask your student if they had a favorite piece from a movie soundtrack.

As part of our Level 2 High Reliability Schools work, teachers participated in an Instructional Round, observing a colleague with a specific learning goal in mind and later debriefing as a team on ways to incorporate new strategies into their own practice. Having the opportunity to spend time in classrooms and support teachers in learning from one another is truly one of the most rewarding aspects of my role.

The government shutdown may be affecting families in our community. A few parents have reached out asking how they can support Wickham families experiencing food insecurity. The Coralville Food Pantry is the primary resource for most of our families in need. We appreciate any support you are able to provide.

If you are a family that needs support, please remember we also offer the resources below:

1) Jill Winders is our Student-Family Advocate (winders.jill@iowacityschools.org). Jill is a resource for families to help access basic needs and mental health resources and directly support families experiencing financial needs, including homelessness. Student and Family Support webpage

2) The Ombuds Office is available to support students, families, and employees. For more information about their services, please visit the Ombuds webpage.

Lastly, we received noteworthy news this week: Wickham has been ranked 13th among elementary schools in the state of Iowa. This recognition reflects the collective dedication of our staff, students, and families in supporting high levels of student achievement. Additional information about this honor can be found on the U.S. News & World Report website: https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/iowa.

Thanks for reading my message until the end! 😀 Here's to a fantastic weekend that includes victories for the Hawkeyes and West High School teams in state playoff games! Please remember that we do not have school on Tuesday, November 4th due to Election Day.

Your voice matters! As we continue to implement Levels One & Two of High Reliability Schools (HRS), we're capturing feedback from families to improve how our school functions. Share your thoughts and help us create the best environment for our students by clicking the box BELOW!

Cooler Weather Reminder

• 0 (and below) degrees temp and/or wind chill = INDOOR RECESS
  

• 1- 49 degrees = pants, coat, appropriate head & hands outerwear; must have boots & snow pants to play in the snow

• 50-59 degrees = long sleeve shirt or jacket, shorts optional

• 60+ degrees = jacket optional (student choice)

Email Reminders

When contacting the office, please email both:

• schepanski.susan@iowacityschools.org

• macleod.emily@iowacityschools.org

Early Pick-Up
If you need to pick your student up early for an appointment or other reason, please call the office when you are about 5 minutes away. This allows us to have your student ready by the time you arrive. You may pull up to the front, and we will walk/send your child out to you.

Thank you for helping us keep things running smoothly!

– Emily & Susan
📧 macleod.emily@iowacityschools.org | schepanski.susan@iowacityschools.org

We are hosting a scholastic book fair in the library on November 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th. The book fair will be open to all students during the school day and after school; we do this to ensure that every student gets an opportunity to experience the book fair.

The book fair accepts cash, credit cards, and/or eWallet. I encourage everyone to consider using Scholastic’s eWallet feature. The eWallet allows students to shop at the book fair without having to bring cash to school, making the transactions easier and safer. Visit our Book Fair website to learn more about eWallet and for a sneak peek at the books.

If you would like to donate to a teacher's classroom please follow this link:

Donate to a Teacher.

Book Fair dates/times

Monday (11/3) : 8:15 am to 5:30 pm

Wednesday (11/5) : 8:15 am to 5:30 pm

Thursday (11/6): 8:15 am to 5:30 pm

Friday (11/7): 8:15 am to 5:30 pm

(Parents are welcome to visit the book fair with their student AFTER SCHOOL starting at 3 PM)

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions before, during, or after the book fair.

Michael Schlitz

Teacher/Librarian

schlitz.michael@iowacityschools.org

Dear Wickham Families,

We are excited to invite you to our Veterans Day Assembly on Tuesday, November 11th at 10:00 AM. This is a special opportunity for our students and community to honor and recognize the service and sacrifices of our veterans. This brief assembly will take place from 10 AM to 10:30 AM.

We would love to include our families’ veterans in the celebration. If you have a family member who is currently serving or is a retired member of the military, we encourage you to have them join us at school during the assembly as a way to be recognized by our students.

To help us prepare, please complete our brief survey to let us know some additional details.

Please take our survey here: https://forms.gle/nFhugFNJZhhhFTh36

If your veteran cannot attend, please still fill out the form & include a photo of them for our slideshow if you would like them to be recognized from afar.

We look forward to celebrating and honoring our veterans together as a Wickham community!

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/MattDegner

November 3rd-7th- Book Fair in the Library

November 3rd- Penny Wars!

November 4th- No school- Teacher PD Day

November 11th- Veteran’s Day Assembly at 10 AM

November 12th- Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:10 PM - 7:10 PM

November 19th- No School- Parent-Teacher Conferences 7:40 AM - 7:10 PM

November 26th-November 28th- No School, District Closed

December 5th- 3rd Grade Field Trip

Linked here is our 2025-2026 District Calendar!

We’re excited to share a fun competition opportunity through Dance Marathon! Every fall, UIDM hosts a 24-hour fundraising push day, and last year they raised $258,717 in just one day!

The classroom that raises the most money/brings in the most pennies will win a pizza party!

Here’s what you need to know:

• Date: Monday, November 3rd

• Who can participate: EVERY CLASSROOM!

• What it is: Students bring in pennies to add to their class jar. The class with the most pennies wins!

• Extra fun: This is in addition to your Mini Dance Marathon in January—it’s just a bonus way to raise funds.

• Important: This fundraiser is for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital through Dance Marathon, not Wickham. The pizza served will NOT be a replacement for students' lunch, just an additional food item that they will enjoy in their classroom. This is a district/food services-approved pizza party!

Let’s see which classroom can stack the most coins and earn that pizza party!

NO Bake, Bake Sale!

All items made fresh from Golden Delight Bakery in Kalona. Place order at wickhampto.org/store.
Order deadline: Monday, November 17th at 8:00 PM. Pick-up: Tuesday, November 25th from 4:30 PM-6:00 PM at Wickham Elementary.

PTO Meetings

Please join us for our monthly PTO meeting on Wednesday, November 5th at 7 p.m. A virtual link will be sent via email prior to the meeting.

Looking for information on Securly, our web filtering tool?

Find all the information here www.IowaCitySchools.org/Securly.

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, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or 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 Eric Howard, Director of Equity and Employee Relations, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, 319-688-1000, howard.eric@iowacityschools.org.