Bear Necessities

Good Afternoon Iowa Community!

It was so wonderful seeing our scholars dressed up as their favorite book characters today! It was such a fun, creative way to celebrate the season and highlight our school's love for reading.

Please keep these key schedule and safety updates in mind as we head into the weekend:

• 🚫 No School Tomorrow (Friday, October 30): Enjoy the long weekend with your family!
• 🔒 Lockdown Drill on Tuesday, November 3: When students return next week, we will be conducting our required lockdown drill on Tuesday morning.

Please see the section below for detailed information on how we prepare students for safety drills and what to expect on Tuesday.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to visit us or call our main office at 303-751-3660. Thank you for your partnership, support, and dedication to our school community. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Jason Smith

Principal

Iowa Elementary

Dear Families,

At Aurora Public Schools, creating a safe and supportive learning environment is our shared commitment. To ensure everyone feels prepared and confident, our schools practice regular safety drills. These exercises help students and staff become familiar with established routines, allowing us to respond calmly and effectively should the need arise.

As part of these practices, we utilize the "Red Bag" system. This tool allows teachers to maintain a direct line of communication with our security team, ensuring that information is shared accurately and quickly to support student safety.

We recognize that discussing safety can sometimes be sensitive. Our school-based mental health teams are always available to provide support or answer any questions your child may have. For additional guidance, our district Security Mental Health Crisis Response Coordinator is also a dedicated resource for our families.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school community a safe place to learn and grow.

At Iowa Elementary, we believe our school belongs to our entire community. To ensure our school journey reflects the values and hopes of our families, we created Community Compass, a collaborative parent and community advisory group that meets directly with Principal Smith. Together, we review school data, discuss the budget, evaluate school programs, and share ideas to help guide Iowa’s future.

We want your feedback, your voice, and your partnership!

Meeting Details:

• Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
• Time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Location: Iowa Elementary Media Center
• Who Can Attend: All Iowa parents, guardians, and local community members are welcome!

Agenda Highlights:

• Information and discussion regarding construction details of our new building addition
• Open floor for community questions and ideas

Help Us Set the Agenda:

We want to address what matters most to you. Please take a moment to complete our topic suggestion form (English, Spanish) to let us know what you would like to discuss.

We look forward to seeing everyone who can join us on November 4!

In support of Aurora Public Schools Board of Education Guardrail #2, Safety, Dignity, and Well-Being of Students, Families, and Staff, our 4th and 5th grade students will have an optional opportunity to meet with our school social worker, Alex. This offers a supportive, age-appropriate space for students who have questions about different identities, wish to better understand themselves or others, or are seeking a safe environment to discuss the LGBT community.

Meetings will take place separately by grade during scheduled lunch periods. The next, voluntary, meeting for interested 4th grade students will be held on Wednesday, November 4 during lunch.

If you have any questions or would prefer that your child does not participate, please contact Mr. Smith at 303-751-3660 or via email.

If you child was absent the day of school pictures, or if they need to have their picture retake, our picture retake day is on Thursday, November 5. The form to order pictures will be sent electronically by our family liaison or if anyone would like a hard copy of the form, we do have a limited supply in the main office. Pictures of the forms, in both English and Spanish, are below.

Iowa Elementary needs volunteers to help with our upcoming Spelling Bee. Volunteers are needed for the following day and time:

• Thursday, November 12
• 7:45am-12:30pm (volunteers do not have to volunteer for the entire time)

No experience needed. Volunteer positions can include:

• Event crew
• Timekeeper
• Judges

If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Ms. Clark at vyclark@aurorak12.org or Ms. Vietz at lvietz@aurorak12.org.

As Winter approaches, we will have several days when the temperature may not get up to even 30 degrees. Please help your student plan for these days appropriately. Our students will continue to go outside for recess as long as the temperature (including wind chill), is above 20 degrees. If/when our students are outside during these times, we want to ensure students are protected from the cold. Please ensure your student has the following:

• Winter coat
• Winter gloves
• Warm hat
• Warm shoes

These items will help your student feel more comfortable when they are outside during cold weather. If you need assistance with any of these items, please reach out to our Family Liaison, LaTyra Crowder, at lcrowder@aurorak12.org.

You can help support Iowa Elementary simply by eating at Papa John's on November 5. When you eat at Papa John's on November 5, you'll receive 30% off your entire order and Iowa Elementary gets 20% back. This is only good at the Papa John's location at 580 S. Chambers Rd., Aurora. See the flyer below for more information.

Support Iowa Elementary by purchasing school spiritwear. Iowa Elementary receives a portion of the proceeds from all spiritwear purchased. The flyer below shows special promotions occurring now. However, for a list of designs you can personalize for Iowa Elementary, please click on the following link:

https://iowaschoolspiritwear.com/

Even though all students eat free, we still need all families to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Iowa Elementary can receive additional funding, Title I funding, if enough students qualify for free and/or reduced lunch. In order to receive the additional funding, we will need at least 75% of our student population qualify for free and/or reduced lunch. If you have not done so already, please click on the link below to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application.

Please complete the form, even if you don't believe it applies to your family. Schools receive funding based on our free and reduced lunch count. Every application completed will benefit Iowa Elementary. Please click on the link below to complete the form. If you need support completing the form, please contact our main office.

Apply for Free and Reduced Lunch

If a family needs help completing the application, please contact Allison Quinn or Isela Cortes in the main office, and they can assist.

• October 30 - No School
• November 3 - Lockdown Drill
• November 4 - Community Compass Meeting
• November 5 - Picture Re-takes
• November 13 - No School
• November 21-November 29 - Thanksgiving Break, No School
• December 18-January 4 - Winter Break, No School

School Hours and Contact Information

Main Office Hours - 7:15 am - 3:15 pm

School Hours - 7:40 am - 2:30 pm

Students may enter the building at 7:35 am.

Telephone: 303-751-3660