Uplifting Urbandale

We invite you to read the Urbandale CSD bi-weekly newsletter, “Uplifting Urbandale,” which will be sent every other Friday. Newsletters will be archived on the Newsletter section of the district website. Please make note of the "View it in your browser" link at the top of this email which can be used to enlarge the text and/or translate this email. We look forward to #upliftingU!

The Iowa Department of Education approved our online waiver extension application which means students will continue learning all online through Tuesday, December 22, 2020. Please review additional information below about the waiver extension and instructional model information following winter break. (View article with translations.)

Online Learning Waiver Extension & Instructional Model Following Winter Break

• Our previously approved online learning waiver runs through Thursday, December 17 which means instruction is taking place remotely (all online) within our Required Continuous Learning Instructional Model.

• The Iowa Department of Education approved our most recent online waiver extension application which means students will continue learning all online from Friday, December 18, 2020 through Tuesday, December 22, 2020 (Note: December 22 is the last day of school before winter break begins for all schools except Rolling Green; Rolling Green’s last day of school before winter break is December 18).

• The first day of class following winter break is Monday, January 4, 2021. We are planning on utilizing the Hybrid Instructional Model with Team J-Hawk attending school in-person on January 4. (Note: If there is a change in district or community health data related to COVID-19 over winter break, we will request a Special School Board Meeting to review the current health status at that time.)

• This means that Activities may resume on Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

• During the January 11 School Board Meeting, the School Board and District Administration will revisit metrics associated with our instructional models. A decision will be made regarding the instructional model we’ll utilize for the beginning of our second semester which starts on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

We’d like to provide an update regarding the dates and times our Nutrition Services Team will be providing meals for children the week of December 21, 2020. Please make note, the only date we will be providing meals is Tuesday, December 22.

Breakfast & Lunch on December 22:

• Meals are for all children 18 years and under; children do not need to be present when picking up meals.

• All meals are free (no charge).

• There is no sign-up required in order to pick up meals.

• Meals are for pick-up only and are not to be consumed on site.

• We are providing meals on Tuesday, December 22.

• We will be providing 10 breakfasts and 10 lunches at the following locations and times::

• Jensen & Valerius: 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

• Karen Acres & Bristol Ridge Apartments (behind Fareway): 11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• Webster, Urbandale Middle School & Urbandale High School: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

As we prepare for Winter Break we are once again asked to alter our traditional gatherings and celebrations in order to continue to do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

If your child is ill with COVID-19 symptoms, please keep them home, contact their healthcare provider, and consider getting a test. If your child is diagnosed with COVID-19, or is a close contact to someone positive with COVID-19, please keep them home in isolation/quarantine.

During Winter Break, staff will not be immediately accessible, but we ask that you email your building principal and school nurse with any positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts. If your child tests positive or is a close contact to someone who has tested positive, please do not allow your child to return to school on Monday, January 4 until being contacted by your school nurse and approved to return to school.

These links from the Polk County Health Department and the CDC will provide helpful information regarding holiday celebrations, gatherings, and travel:

• Polk County Health Department COVID-19 Information

• Winter Holidays

• Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings

• Holiday travel with COVID-19

We wish you a healthy, restful, and well-deserved break!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Meet the Candidate Forums that took place on December 16 and 17, with our final Meet the Candidate Forum taking place at 5:00 p.m. this evening, Friday, December 18. We appreciate your time completing the “Candidate Impression Form” for each candidate. The information submitted in those forms is shared directly with our School Board to ensure all voices are heard.

Our final steps in the process include today’s second-round finalist interviews with stakeholder groups consisting of students, parents, support staff, teachers, administrators, and community members, as well as the Meet the Candidate Forum. Following tonight’s Forum, the School Board will meet via Closed Session with the candidate in order to conduct a second-round finalist interview.

The School Board will then hold one final Closed Session Board Meeting this Sunday, December 20 in order to select a candidate for Superintendent of Schools. Announcing the next Superintendent is expected to take place on Monday, December 21, 2020.

The Rotary Club of Northwest Des Moines announces the distribution of 684 winter coats this season to help keep children warm during Iowa’s cold winter months. This year, Endow Urbandale awarded the Rotary Club a grant in the amount of $5,000 to help purchase winter coats. Through a partnership with Operation Warm, a nonprofit organization that provides coats at a significant discount, Rotary Club is able to assist preschool through twelfth grade students in the Urbandale Community School District who are in need of a winter coat. Over the past seven years, Rotary Club has purchased and distributed nearly 2,500 winter coats to children in need.

"With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many needs in our community,” said NW Des Moines Rotary Club Operation Warm Chair Brenda Auxier-Mailey. “We are thankful for the tremendous support we’ve received and especially grateful for the $5,000 grant from Endow Urbandale. Providing brand new warm coats to Urbandale's PreK-12 students is one way our Rotary Club is making a difference.” Learn More

We thank Valerius and Jensen Elementary Art Teacher, Becky Baack, for sharing the Artists In My Neighborhood project with us! Enjoy learning about this fun and engaging project!

“The Artists In My Neighborhood project started just as we began remote learning as a way to bring something different to our art class while learning remotely,” said Baack. “I always like to ask, ‘How can we do this better? What sort of things can we do now that we can’t while in school? How can we engage students in a different way other than showing them a classroom background? How can we connect learners to things going on in their world and right outside their door? Can I provide things they can teach their families about and then get them outside to see these things?’

So I started calling, emailing, texting, and visiting artists! Now, students can log into Zoom and see where I might be popping up in the neighborhood as we visit artists around town.”

Click here for an updated summary of actions that have been taking place for design and construction projects throughout the District.

**Olmsted Progress Update Video**
Thank you to Principal Elyse Brimeyer, Dean of Students Kara Paulson, and Stahl Field Superintendent Mike Farnsworth for sharing this progress update for the new Olmsted Elementary School. Many thanks and a big shout out to Community Education Coordinator, Josh Jacobs, for the development of this fantastic progress update video! #OlmstedRising #elevatingU

• Tuesday, January 12, 2021: Detailed Preschool Pre-Registration Information for the 2021-2022 school year will be released on the district website. More details to come!
  
• Tuesday, February 9, 2021: Save the Date! Preschool Pre-Registration will begin online at 6:00 PM.
  

Please Note: Preschool Pre-Registration will not only pre-register your student, but will play a key role in determining facility and programming needs for the 2021-2022 school year. Pre-registering your student does not guarantee your student a spot in the Urbandale Preschool Program. Once all facility and programming decisions are confirmed, you will be contacted regarding your acceptance into the Urbandale Preschool Program by April 30, 2021.

Please make note of the following dates that school will not be in session due to winter break:

• Winter Break:

• All Schools Except Rolling Green: Wednesday, December 23, 2020 through Friday, January 1, 2021

• Rolling Green Elementary (only): Monday, December 21, 2020 through Friday, January 1, 2021
  
  

• Class Resumes: Monday, January 4, 2021

• The first day of class following winter break is Monday, January 4, 2021. We are planning on utilizing the Hybrid Instructional Model (click to view calendars) with Team J-Hawk attending school in-person on January 4. (Note: If there is a change in district or community health data related to COVID-19 over winter break, we will request a Special School Board Meeting to review the current health status at that time.)

• During the January 11 School Board Meeting, the School Board and District Administration will revisit metrics associated with our instructional models. A decision will be made regarding the instructional model we’ll utilize for the beginning of our second semester which starts on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

The Urbandale Community School District wishes all students, staff, and families a wonderful winter break and happy new year!

Every year we experience the need to cancel school due to a variety of reasons which is why I’d like to share more information regarding protocols that guide our decisions and precautions we’re taking to ensure our students and staff understand what to do in the event an emergency situation arises during the school day. The decision to delay, cancel, or have an early dismissal due to any reason is one that we take seriously and with great caution, care, and concern —caution that we’re making an informed decision based on credible information from key sources, care that our decision supports the safety and well-being of students and staff, and concern that we’re taking into account all of the variables that cancelling school will inevitably impact. Learn more about inclement weather, threat, isolated incident, and safety drill protocols.

Online Kindergarten Pre-Registration for the 2021-2022 school year will begin on February 1, 2021. To be eligible for kindergarten a child must be 5 years old by September 15, 2021. We’ll share more information once Kindergarten Pre-Registration opens.

If your student encounters any technical issues with their Chromebook while learning from home, please review this Chromebook Help information for troubleshooting tips and helpline. Also, there’s a handy “Chromebook Help” button on the homepage of the district site which will also take you to the Chromebook Help Information.

Please note: Students are expected to be online for some of the time during their at-home learning days. If you do not have internet service, and need assistance, the district is able to provide support. Complete this form to let us know of your need.

Our priority is to ensure that we are supporting student learning in the safest way possible by being responsive to the status of district and public health as it relates to the spread of COVID-19. On a weekly basis we’ll be updating the current COVID-19 status page within the Return To Learn section of the site to keep our students, families, staff, and community informed about the status of the virus within our District.

We’d like to invite you to share your uplifting stories throughout the year. Uplifting stories could include a quick photo/video, a quick recap of a special moment, a shout out to someone in the district, a message of gratitude, a message of hope; anything that uplifts our human spirit. Please email your uplifting message to Dena Claire and your story will be included in an upcoming newsletter. Thank you!

A tremendous thank you and shout out to the hard working teachers of Rolling Green Elementary. Our 3rd and 5th graders are experiencing such positivity from their teachers Miss Bormann and Miss Piscatello. Despite what is certainly incredible challenges and exhausting hours, our kids LOVE their teachers. Thank you! I can only imagine how much harder this would be if our teachers were anything but upbeat. We see your daily energy and hard work. THANK YOU!

~ Heather Thomas, Rolling Green Elementary Parent

Mary Beth Fast and Steve Richman in our business services department have been extremely helpful in the navigation of COVID expenditures, recent budget meetings, and follow up questions to ensure building leaders have the information, knowledge, and resources to be successful and bring learning to life. Thank you Mary Beth and Steve for your communication, support and resources!

~Jeremy Braden, UMS Principal

I'd like to thank Mrs. Kerr for her professionalism, dedication, patience, care and attention toward my son. If I could, I would nominate Mrs. Kerr to be the new superintendent of schools! I thank Mrs. Kerr from the bottom of my heart. My son loves Mrs. Kerr very much and he has shared that Mrs. Kerr is his favorite teacher.

~ Mirna Mendoza, Jensen Elementary Parent

This email is sent to Urbandale CSD parents/guardians and staff every other Friday. If someone you know would like to receive this weekly newsletter, please invite them to Opt-In here. Thank you!

Email: quistd@urbandaleschools.com
Website: www.urbandaleschools.com
Location: 11152 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, IA, USA
Phone: 515-457-5000
Twitter: @UrbandaleCSD