All-Star September Newsletter

Tuesday, September 1st - FAST Reading and iReady Math Inform Screening Begins

Tuesday, September 1st - Attendance Awareness Month!

Friday, September 4th - Ram Blast Fundraising Begins

Monday, September 7th - Labor Day, No School

Tuesday, September 8th - First day of school for Little Rams Preschool

Friday, September 11th - Iowa vs Iowa State Tailgate! Wear your favorite ISU or Iowa Colors!

Thursday, September 24th - Picture Day

Friday, September 25th - Ram Blast!

Monday, September 28th- October 2nd - Homecoming Week!

Thursday, October 1s - October is National Bullying Prevention Month

We’re excited to share our Delaware Wish List featuring items that help support our students and staff throughout the school day. If you’re ever looking for a way to support our Delaware community, this is a great way to make a direct impact!

Items on our list include snacks for our Nurse and office staff to provide to students who may be hungry, extra supplies such as headphone/expo markers/pencils, treats for student rewards and incentives, Kleenex/hand sanitizer to help keep classrooms and shared spaces stocked and ready for our students.

We’ll continue to update the list throughout the year as needs arise or supplies run low.

Thank you for supporting our students and staff! Your generosity helps us provide the little things that make a big difference each day at Delaware, and helps take the financial strain off of our teachers who typically purchase these items. 💛🖤

Delaware Wishlist

We have had a great first two weeks of school, and our arrival and dismissal is within a reasonable amount of time. With preschool starting, I want to share a few reminders:

• The horseshoe lane is only for families wanting to drop-off and pick-up without getting out of their vehicles. In order for the line to move effeciently and safe for all using it, families must not get out of their vehicles, pull all the way around so there are not gaps in the line, and be patient as the line progresses.
• If you want to get out of your vehicle, please ensure you walk your child(ren) up to the front of the school through the cross-walk. We have seen many children walking across on their own. This is not safe as cars pull in and out, and our buses come through the bus lane.
• Do not use the bus lane under any circumstances. The buses are on a schedule, and cannot wait for families who are sitting blocking their access.

Preschool Families:

• Our horseshoe lane is reserved for families who are dropping off quickly and leaving. Do not sit in the lane waiting for preschool teachers to come out. If you are going to wait, your must park in the parking lot. We have families dropping off and trying to get to work, please do not hold up the line waiting for preschool to start.
• Preschool does not start until 8:45, so waiting in the lane before then is not an option. Families will be dropped off between 8:15-8:30am for school age students to eat breakfast and enter the building for school. Please park in the parking lot and wait with your child at the preschool doors. Our preschool staff will be there waiting for you.
• Afternoon preschool families, when you pick up at the end of the day, we will already be dismissing school age students. Again, do not sit in the horseshoe lane waiting for preschool to come out. Either arrive closer to 3:45, when preschool is dismissed, or park in the parking lot and wait for preschool to come out. The parking lot will be packed from 3:25-3:45 or so. Please know that the parking lot is pretty clear by 3:45. Coming early will make it hard for you to find a spot. Remember, our school age students are dismissed at 3:35, while preschool will not dismiss and be outside until 3:45. Many of our students dismiss from the same doors as preschool, so please do not stand right by the door as our Kindergarten and First Graders exit. We need them to stay with their teachers as they move to their pick-up location.

Welcome to your first day of school! We are so excited to meet all of our Little Rams, and see them throughout the building. I have added reminders for preschool arrival and dismissal in the section above. Please read through it. This will help keep arrival and dismissal moving quickly and efficient. You are welcome to walk in with your child on the first day and help them get settled with their table activitiy. We know that saying goodbye may be difficult, but know they are in the best hands, and will do great once they move on with their fun day! If you plan to walk in on the first day, you must park in the parking lot. We look forward to a great year ahead, please reach out to Ms. Kim if you have any questions.

It’s showtime, Delaware All-Stars!! Our biggest fundraiser of the year, RAM BLAST, has officially started.

Because this is a simple fundraiser, there is no selling required, just quick online setup and sharing!

We need every parent/family to log in, sign up, and help us reach our goals by reaching out to family and friends. RAM BLAST is our main fundraiser of the year, which allows us to limit additional fundraising throughout the rest of the school year. Without our PTA and the support from RAM BLAST, we wouldn't be able to provide these amazing opportunities and resources for our students and staff.

Here is how your support helps our team win big:

• Field Trips: The PTA funds one field trip per grade level each year. Transportation and admission costs add up fast, and these funds make sure all our students get to enjoy these valuable experiences!

• Outdoor Play: Equipment for recess, like new soccer nets, balls, and other outdoor items, to keep our kids active and moving.

• Indoor Recess: Fun indoor recess games to keep students engaged on bad-weather days.

• Library Books: New books that go directly to our library and classrooms for students to read.

• ...plus so many additional supports and events for our school community that we couldn't do without these funds!

All-Star Prizes & Tailgate Celebration

Check out the awesome prizes our kiddos can win this year (because, let's be real, who doesn't love prizes?) You can also see the additional prizes/incentives on the Fundraising page.

• Instant Registration Prize: Every single student who registers gets a squishy.

• Big Tailgate Party: In line with our All-Star theme, we are so excited to celebrate all our hard work with a LARGE tailgate party for ALL students on September 25th!

If we all pitch in and rally together, our All-Star community can make a massive impact at Delaware!

How to Help Us Reach Our Goal:

1. Log In & Register: Click the link below to get your student signed up today.

2. Share: Send your student's link out to family, friends, and neighbors via text, email, or social media!

Register Today: getmovinfundhub.com/register. School Code: 67a64d1c9945c

Thank you for being such an incredible support system for our school, staff, and students. Let's make this year's RAM BLAST a home run!

All Star Leader student shirts are still available. Use the link below to purchase! Students can also include their last name and a number on the back of their shirts, just like the teachers! Students can use the number associated with their grade level, or choose their favorite number.

• Preschool: 00

• Kindergarten: 00

• 1st Grade: 01

• 2nd Grade: 02

• 3rd Grade: 03

• 4th Grade: 04

• 5th Grade: 05

When ordering, you will have the option to have your order shipped or select store pickup. Please choose store pickup, and orders will be delivered to Delaware and distributed to students at school.

Student All-Star Shirt Order

Families can apply for free/reduced meal benefits at anytime throughout the school year. If you need assistance paying for meals, please submit an application. If you have a change of income, you can always reapply. We encourage families to submit an application as this also helps us continue to receive Title support in the building. Note: A new application is required each year.

The easiest way to submit an application is by going to the Food and Nutrition page on our Southeast Polk Website. Once you are there, click into "Free and Reduced Meals at SEP." This will give you step by step directions. If you want a paper copy, or need support applying, please stop in and see Jill at the front office. She can help you!

September is Attendance Awareness Month, making it a great time to highlight just how important regular school attendance is! One of our continued goals at Delaware Elementary is to decrease chronic absenteeism and help every student be present and ready to learn each day. A student is considered chronically absent when they have been absent for more than 10% of the days in a grading period (trimester). You can think of that as missing 18 days in a school year. 18 absences in a school year = chronic absenteeism. That means having 6 absences in a trimester would be considered chronically absent. We will continue to highlight our chronic absenteeism rates, and remind families when they are at risk of being chronically absent. Additionally, per Iowa Law, the school must initiate a school engagement meeting and develop an absenteeism prevention plan with the student and parent/guardians. A student becomes Truant when their absences hit 20% within a trimester.

We know that absences happen—children get sick, families have appointments, and sometimes life gets in the way. However, every day at school is an opportunity to learn, connect with friends, and build important skills. Families can help by planning vacations around school breaks when possible, scheduling appointments at the beginning or end of the school day, and keeping track of your child’s attendance throughout the year.

Every day matters. Every student matters. Every minute of learning counts! Thank you for partnering with us to make attendance a priority and helping our Rams make every school day count! 💛🖤

If you have questions about student attendance, please reach out to a member of our attendance team below.

Ashley Tabor, Building Improvement Leader - ashley.tabor@southeastpolk.org

Megan Davenport, School Counselor - megan.davenport@southeastpolk.org

Chelsea Clark, Building Principal - chelsea.clark@southeastpolk.org

At Delaware Elementary, we love celebrating our students for living out the 7 Habits and demonstrating Rams Way behavior expectations! Students can be recognized in a variety of ways:

• Classwide Habit Heroes – classes work together to earn rewards or parties.

• Individual Habit Heroes – given to students and entered into a weekly drawing for Habit Hero of the Week.

• Ram Tickets – earned individually and used to “shop” for prizes and experiences from our Rams Cart.

• Habit Leaders of the Month – honored at our monthly Ram Rallies.

Our goal is to highlight and celebrate our Delaware Student Leaders as they shine throughout the building. We encourage you to talk with your child about the many ways they can earn tickets, Habit Heroes, and leadership awards!

Principal: Mrs. Chelsea Clark – chelsea.clark@southeastpolk.org

Building Improvement Leader: Mrs. Ashley Tabor – ashley.tabor@southeastpolk.org

School Counselor: Mrs. Megan Davenport – megan.davenport@southeastpolk.org

School Nurse: Mrs. Kara Grochala – kara.grochala@southeastpolk.org

Administrative Assistants:

Mrs. Jill Koch – jill.koch@southeastpolk.org

Mrs. Tracy Elings – tracy.elings@southeastpolk.org

School Website: Delaware Elementary

Facebook: @sepdelawareelementary